North Carolina’s legislature just passed a bill banning any “sanctuary” cities that would protect illegal immigrants from getting deported, and it’s being condemned nationally by high profile attacks from liberals including Hillary Clinton and could have repercussions in the state’s 2016 gubernatorial election.
The anti-sanctuary city bill called “The Protect North Carolina Workers Act” would ban sanctuary cities in the state and restrict forms of ID issued by local municipalities that make it easy for illegal immigrants to obtain.
Liberals activists like Raul A. Reyes called the bill “mean-spirited” and asked North Carolina Gov. Pat McCroy (R) to “do the right thing and veto this mean-spirited bill.”
Clinton also chimed in calling the legislation, calling it “simply unacceptable,” and her Latino outreach director, who herself is an illegal immigrant, “more evidence of the influence Donald Trump has on the Republican Party.”
The framers of the legislation disagree with those claims.
“Contrary to the claims made by the Democrat frontrunner’s campaign, the Protect North Carolina Workers Act implements reforms that improve safety in our communities and provides proper protection of our state and local tax dollars,” wrote state Rep. Chris Millis (R) to the Daily Caller.
He pointed to the tragic death of Kate Steinle and the millions of dollars in tax dollars spent on illegal immigrants as reason enough to enforce the laws and work with ICE agents.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the estimated 410,000 illegals who live in state of North Carolina pay about $288 million in taxes, but cost the taxpayers about $2 billion a year–half of which goes to education costs.
When it comes to crime, it’s not just gang members and murders who are doing damage, like the undocumented alien who killed Kate Steinle.
North Carolina police officers have arrested thousands of illegal immigrant drunk drivers over the last decade. In Mecklenburg County, N. C.–where Charlotte is located–nearly 2,800 illegal immigrants were arrested for drunk driving from Feb. 2006 to March 2012, accounting for nearly a quarter of all DUIs.
In Rockingham County, N.C., illegals made up 52 percent of all arrests for driving under the influence.
McCroy’s decision to either sign the law or veto it may way heavy on voters’ minds when he’s up for re-election in 2016.
While many in the Republican establishment fear a backlash from the Hispanic vote, history suggests that McCroy may come out on top if he supports the anti-sanctuary city bill.
Former California Gov. Pete Wilson’s (R) come-from-behind victory in the 1994 election had a great deal to do with his support for Prop. 187, a bill to cut off welfare to illegal immigrants.
Wilson won 70 percent of the white vote, 51 percent of the Asian vote, 25 percent of the Latino vote, and 20 percent of the black vote. Prop. 187 carried a majority of the white, black, and Asian vote as well as 27 percent of the Latino vote.
McCroy’s re-election may on hinge this bill.
