RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) — The North Carolina Senate passed several bills Tuesday to tighten immigration enforcement and regulate cell phones in the classroom.
Local Republican lawmakers have echoed many of President Donald Trump’s priorities, including introducing anti-DEI and immigration measures, and have pushed for increased cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on crime committed by immigrants who entered the country illegally.
Under Senate Bill 153, which passed the Senate Tuesday, state law enforcement agencies would enter into an agreement with ICE, designating law enforcement officers to perform immigration enforcement functions. These agencies would work to determine the citizenship of people in their custody, and contact ICE if they’ve detained an unlawful resident.
They are directed under the bill to “cooperate to the fullest extent allowed by law” with ICE, while sanctuary cities not cooperating with law enforcement gathering citizenship or immigration information would have their governmental immunity revoked, should an unauthorized resident commit a crime within its borders.
Senator Buck Newton, a Republican and one of Senate Bill 153’s primary sponsors, said on the floor Tuesday that the measure would allow citizens to hold sanctuary cities accountable.
“President Trump took swift action as soon as he was in office to stem the tide of illegal immigration, and here in the General Assembly, we’ve taken concrete steps to put an end to sanctuary city policies,” he said.
“When police act as immigration agents, witnesses or victims of crime are less likely to report crime and cooperate with the police for fear of deportation, making all of us less safe,” said Sammy Salkin, a policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, during the committee hearing on Senate Bill 153.
Requiring law enforcement agencies to work with ICE erodes trust in communities, she said, especially between immigrants and protective services.
The bill also directs the state to audit public benefits to ensure only lawful residents are receiving benefits, like Medicaid, rental assistance and food stamps — a move Senator Sophia Chitlik challenged as an attempt to make immigrants appear as a drain on public benefits that they pay into, but are not eligible for.
“We have a responsibility to be fiscally diligent with taxpayer resources,” Chitlik said, pointing out that undocumented residents are ineligible for state programs and unable to apply for assistance like SNAP and TANF without proof of immigration status.
The bill, which is unfunded, would cost taxpayers money “to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” she said.
Democrats have pushed alternatives to the bill, namely measures preventing ICE from making arrests in schools, hospitals or places of worship, along with farmland and construction sites, where many immigrants work.
The bills were sent to the House Rules committee, where they are expected to die. Another measure, introduced as a bill amendment on the floor, where it died Tuesday, would have made it a felony to impersonate an ICE officer.
“We know that there are people impersonating ICE officers, and yet we gave it an option that would actually make it a felony, and a mandatory jail time,” said Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch. “And our Republican colleagues love penalties. We increase felonies like we hand out candy, and so I don’t understand why they would not take advantage of making sure that we’re protecting all North Carolinians, because none of us should be riding in our cars or walking down the street, fearful that someone who purports to be an actual ICE officer is who they are.”
Republican lawmakers have zeroed in on immigration enforcement following a bill passed last year that required hold-out sheriffs to detain non-citizens charged with a crime for 48 hours and contact ICE. Speaker of the House Destin Hall suggested that the law may be revised this session, as the sheriff’s department of a major city has not been notifying ICE when it releases detainees.
The state Senate also passed a bipartisan measure to crack down on cell phone activity during class. The bill, which will now go to the House for votes, has North Carolina joining dozens of other states, including neighboring state Virginia, in addressing cell phone usage in the classroom.
Under Senate Bill 55, public school systems must create policies for cell phones and other wireless communication devices, including tablets, laptops and gaming devices, and students must be barred from turning on their phone or using it during instructional time.
The measure allows exemptions for phones being used for educational purposes during class time and during emergencies, and for students who have individualized education programs that require it, along with students who need access to their phone for health reasons.
“This legislation isn’t a Democrat or Republican, urban or rural issue,” said Senator Jay Chaudhuri, “This issue is about moving our children away from social media and more towards focused learning.”
The Senate is also expected to pass additional funding for Hurricane Helene recovery Wednesday, which made it through the House last week.