Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly introduced two bills this week to limit law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement at certain locations in North Carolina as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration.
House Bill 78 would prohibit law enforcement agencies and officers from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement in making immigration arrests or serving deportation warrants in places like religious institutions, schools, and hospitals.
Recognizing the role of immigrant workers in agriculture and construction, House Bill 80 similarly would prohibit immigration enforcement on North Carolina farmland and construction sites.
The bills aim to protect the locations from disruptions and prevent fear in vulnerable communities seeking essential services.
Under the North Carolina’s Constitution, the state’s police power is vested in the General Assembly, explained Jon Guze, Senior Fellow in legal studies at the John Lock Foundation, which means the General Assembly has the power to enact the bills restricting cooperation with ICE. However, with a Republican majority that recently passed legislation to require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE in all 100 counties, the bill faces an uphill battle in both chambers.
Guze said he has mixed feelings on the bill, supporting the deportation of illegal aliens while also noting the drawbacks of law enforcement entering public areas to make a spectacle arrest.
“On the one hand, there are plenty of illegal aliens who ought to be deported, and I think it’s fine for North Carolina law enforcement agencies to help make it happen,” said Guze. “On the other, I don’t much like the idea of federal, state, or local law enforcement officers raiding churches and schools. I think mass arrests at workplaces also makes for an unedifying spectacle, and I’m sure many employers are genuinely worried about alien employees being afraid to show up for work regardless of their immigration status.”
Though Democrats introduced the legislation in the General Assembly for the 2025 session, Guze noted that they did not do so when previous administrations pushed deportation efforts forward.
“It’s important to keep in mind, however, that there were lots of mass arrests and deportations during the Obama administration, including at workplaces,” Guze added. “I don’t recall the General Assembly doing anything to block participation by state and local law enforcement agencies back then. In fact, I don’t recall many complaints from the left at all, which makes me suspect these bills are politically motivated and don’t represent a genuine attempt to help illegal aliens and their employers.”