TRUMP TACTICS COME TO THE NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
It should go without saying that I don’t want violent criminals escaping justice under the law.
Supporters of House Bill 370 would like you to believe that I, and other opponents of the bill, support that kind of chaos. Supporters of this bill would also like you to believe that undocumented immigrants in our communities are all barbarous and heinous delinquents that threaten public safety.
As a son of immigrants, public interest attorney, and state senator, I am compelled to set the record straight and speak up for the thousands of people that are afraid to speak.
In my short time serving in the General Assembly, I have seen the Republican majority adopting the Trump administration’s tactics — evoking fear to further an agenda that is shrouded in prejudice.
If you read between the lines of House Bill 370 and take a critical look at the timing and targets of this bill, the motivations are clear.
In 2018, North Carolina’s seven most populous counties sent a strong message about their priorities for public safety by electing new sheriffs. All seven duly elected sheriffs are African-American who ran on the platform of ending voluntary cooperation with Trump’s ICE officers within their county jails, where approximately only 3 percent of country’s more than 3,000 sheriffs participated in at the time. The sheriffs cited diversion of local law enforcement resources, separation of families, and increased mistrust between law enforcement and communities as being legitimate concerns to end voluntary cooperation with ICE.
However, much like the power grabs that we saw following Governor Roy Cooper’s win in 2016, Republicans’ political retribution to the 2018 sheriffs’ elections has been swift and reprehensible. Much like the horrific anti-choice bill we saw this spring, HB 370 is little more than a stage for GOP attack ads and mailers leading up to the 2020 elections. I have no doubt every voter will see disturbing campaign mail and TV commercials accusing Democrats of supporting infanticide and “bad hombres”.
Republicans are playing a dangerous game with their power. Political points in the name of public safety run the risk of putting real lives in danger. If they understood the challenges that sheriff deputies face every day; if they understood the fear-driven silence of victims that keep them from reaching out to police for help, they would understand the real ramifications that House Bill 370 can have on our cities and counties.
Fear is a powerful weapon and that is how the party of Trump wants to maintain its power.
I have seen the power of fear and its impact on immigrant families. The child who calls my office, asking me when their father or mother will return home after being stopped for a broken tail-light. The children that hold their parents a little tighter and a little longer before walking alone to the bus stop uncertain if they will ever see them again. Children are showing startling emotional and physical effects from this level of trauma. Their basic needs, such as healthcare and education, go unmet because their family members are afraid to leave their home.
On both a public and a very personal level, HB 370 has the power to do far more harm than good for North Carolina.
There is no easy answer to the problems we face as it relates to immigration policy in the United States. There is no singular solution to improving public safety in our communities. But House Bill 370 is not the answer.
Our local law enforcement agencies struggle daily with the perception that they can’t be trusted; that they are not there to protect and serve. This bill makes it harder for them to do their jobs and bring justice to every person in our community.
I trust my locally elected sheriff to make those tough choices and to uphold his constitutional duty as a sworn officer. I trust the voters who elected him to that office to make those decisions.
I don’t trust the Trump administration’s political policies that promote fear, distrust and, threaten the safety of our communities.
