NC Legislature passes ‘common sense’ override to ban sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants 

First it was school choice, and now it’s sanctuary cities. 

Twice this week, Republicans in North Carolina’s Legislature used their supermajorities to override Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes of key legislation. 

The latest is a “purely common sense” measure that bans the creation of sanctuary cities across the Tar Heel State, said Senate leader Phil Berger, according to ABC11. “I question why anyone in law enforcement – these elected sheriffs – would deny a community the safety that is allowed by taking the process in this way.” 

The bill, which takes effect Dec. 1, compels local law enforcement officials to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) orders, which could include extradition for non-citizens accused of committing serious crimes or suspected of being in the country unlawfully, Daily Caller News Foundation reported. 

Instead of releasing illegal immigrants after an arrest, as happens in sanctuary cities and states, the law requires they be held for up to 48 hours if they are subject to an ICE detainer. That gives the agency time to take custody of the person and carry out legal proceedings against them, including possible deportation. 

“When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission,” says the agency’s website. 

Republican state lawmakers stressed the new law won’t be used on non-citizens who are “stopped for minor traffic offenses. This is not something those people would be facing deportation over,” said Sen. Danny Britt, according to Queen City News. Its intent, rather, is to target violent criminals and those who pose a threat to society. 

Sanctuary cities have been around for years, but some such as New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago are doubling down on their stance since Donald Trump’s election, vowing not to cooperate with his plans to conduct “the largest deportation operation in American history.” 

Trump has promised to return possibly millions of illegal immigrants to their home countries, and has threatened to withhold federal funds from places that harbor illegal immigrants. 

Many states are grappling with a rise in crime and other problems created by illegal immigrants who entered the country during Joe Biden’s presidency, which saw record numbers of illegal border crossings after abolishing many of Trump’s policies that had sharply reduced illegal immigration. 

Jogger Laken Riley was killed by an illegal immigrant in Georgia at the age of 22, and her killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole this week. Yet, liberal media outlets continue to downplay her murderer’s illegal status and paint immigration in a positive light, Daily Caller reported.