Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash
Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash
A Republican Senator in North Carolina has enlisted the state’s top federal prosecutor to argue with Congress that victims of crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants ought to be able to hold elected officials liable.
In North Carolina, when an undocumented person is accused of a state or local crime, that person is released after making his or her way through the justice system. If needed, Immigration and Customs Enforcement can ask local law enforcement to hold the person for an extra 48 hours. In Mecklenburg, sheriffs emphasize they cannot legally hold someone without an arrest warrant, just like any other case. The decision to detain is left to judges, not local authorities.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, says these sanctuary policies are “reckless”, which he expressed in a hearing in October. According to ICE data obtained by WBTV, law enforcement in North Carolina declined to hold almost 500 prisoners held by ICE between last October and mid-August. Randy Capps of the Migration Policy Institute said these detainees have already been cleared by state judges, so they are free to return back to their everyday lives.
Tillis has introduced a bill that would allow victims of a violent crime committed by an undocumented person after that person's release to file a lawsuit against the local government.
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