From the Press Office of the Senate President Pro Tem

On Monday, Senate Leader Phil Berger, along with Senators Warren Daniel, and Buck Newton filed the “North Carolina Border Protection Act,” to ensure state law enforcement officials are cooperating with federal immigration laws and that residents are protected from harmful Sanctuary City policies. 

Further, it protects the taxpayers by ensuring that only those eligible receive state-funded public benefits, like low-income housing tax credits, child-care subsidies, and caregiver support. Senate Bill 153 also directs UNC System institutions to cooperate with immigration officials. 

“North Carolinians are seeing the harmful impacts of open-border policies — from dangerous drug trafficking to criminal, illegal immigrants being released from jail to roam our streets freely,” Senate Leader Berger said. “North Carolinians made it clear that they will no longer tolerate sanctuary policies that put them at risk. We must send an equally strong message by requiring Gov. Stein’s administration to cooperate with immigration officials.” 

Senate Bill 153 would do the following: 

• Require state law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Public Safety, Department of Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol, and the State Bureau of Investigation, to enter into memorandums of agreement (MOAs) with the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fully cooperate with immigration laws. 
• Those law enforcement agencies would also be required to determine the immigration status of any person in its custody or under its supervision. 
• The Office of State Budget and Management would be required to determine whether, and to what extent, certain state-funded public benefit programs are being provided to unauthorized immigrants and post its findings publicly. 
• The OSBM would then be required to take steps to ensure that state-funded public benefits are only being provided to those who qualify for it. 
• While Sanctuary City policies are already prohibited in the state, municipalities across the state continue to defy the state law. To hold them accountable, any county or municipality that creates Sanctuary Cities will have its local immunity waived, thereby allowing citizens harmed by illegal immigrants to sue them. 
• Finally, it prohibits UNC System campuses from adopting any policy that does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and/or adopting sanctuary school policies. 

“It doesn’t matter if you live in Murphy or Manteo, you’re still feeling the impacts of the Biden-era open border policies,” Sen. Daniel said. “Now that we have a federal government that is taking border control seriously, we need to do our part at the state level and ensure that our citizens are protected from criminal, illegal immigrants.” 

Sen. Newton said, “It’s past time for North Carolina cities and counties to be held accountable for harmful Sanctuary City policies. We’ve seen families across the country suffer because of these policies and the North Carolina Border Protection Act gives citizens the ability to go after those cities and counties that have for far too long defied state law.”