Students and young farmworkers from across the state are condemning the discriminatory House Bill 10, which would require sheriffs to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The state Republican backed bill would establish a procedure that requires sheriffs to inform ICE within 48 hours when they take into custody someone whose citizenship is under question.
“[HB 10] is talking about additional detention associated with an arrest, or some kind of other criminal detention that is now resolved,” Kate Evans, director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at the Duke Law School, told The Duke Chronicle. “These individuals would otherwise go back to their families and communities. But this law will keep them for two more days at the request of ICE officers without any kind of independent review as to whether or not there are actually valid civil charges that would justify the detention.”
Earlier this month, students, and members of El Pueblo, met with state Senators at the North Carolina General Assembly to discuss the harms of the bill. If HB10 becomes law, advocates worry that the state will experience an exodus of agricultural workers.
In addition, sheriffs across the state have opposed the bill, stating that HB 10 detracts from their primary roles of enforcing local laws.
“These bills will make our counties less safe. Multiple studies show that mandatory immigration enforcement makes people less likely to trust government authorities, without improving public safety,” the Sheriffs wrote.
“As Sheriffs, we take seriously our duties and our responsibilities to the people of North Carolina, and we must be permitted to set local law enforcement priorities. We respectfully ask that you let us do just that”.
