Cooper vetoes legislation that requires N.C. sheriffs to honor ICE detainers on jail inmates who

Cooper vetoes legislation that requires N.C. sheriffs to honor ICE detainers on jail inmates who might be in U.S. illegally


Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday vetoed a Republican-sponsored bill passed by the N.C. General Assembly that would force North Carolina’s 100 sheriffs to comply with detainers issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on jail inmates who are suspected of being in the country illegally.

“This legislation is simply about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina,” Cooper, who previously was the N.C. attorney general, said in a statement. “As the former top law enforcement officer of our state, I know that current law allows the state to jail and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status.

“This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties,” Cooper said. “Finally, to elevate their partisan political pandering, the legislature has made a sheriff’s violation of this new immigration duty as the only specifically named duty violation that can result in a sheriff’s removal from office.”

Cooper returned to the bill to the clerk of the N.C. House, which had voted 62-53 Tuesday to approve the legislation, House Bill 370.

Read more: https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/cooper-vetoes-legislation-that-requires-n-c-sheriffs-to-honor/article_fa89b1f5-9859-5d25-9195-3648f4847b92.html
(Winston-Salem Journal)