A bill that would withhold some state funding for local governments that have sanctuary city policies has cleared one chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly.
“Altogether, this bill represents one of the harshest pieces of immigration legislation in the nation,” said Sarah Rawleigh, Immigrant Assistance Center Manager at Faith Action, which is a Greenbsoro-based non-profit that started a wave of action across the state to get identification cards to residents not eligible for standard state-issued ID’s.
Rawleigh added, “For us, this program has always been about public safety and building bridges between law enforcement in our diverse community.”
What started in Greensboro has now spread to about a dozen municipalities across the state – including Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
These identification cards – or Faith ID’s – would now be banned under a proposed bill in the state legislature – House Bill 100.
Rawleigh and other advocates for the identification cards were speaking at the General Assembly just hours before the Senate gave its approval to the legislation, sending it on to the House of Representatives.
Kate Woomer-Deters, staff attorney with the North Carolina Justice Center, said there were many occasions where these locally recognized identification cards were valuable public safety tools.
“We could have a person who is missing, a person who is disoriented, a person who is a suspect of a crime,” Woomer-Deters explained, “and law enforcement needs every tool in its toolbook to figure out who this person is.”
But Republican Senator Bill Rabon, who represents three counties in southeastern North Carolina, said these identification cards legitimized residents who may not be in the state legally.
“I think it must be crystal clear to everyone – not only in this chamber but outside and all around our nation – that we have to do something to get immigration under control,” Rabon said.
“There are several reasons for it, not the least of which – if we don’t control it, we lose our sovereignty and our ability to function as a nation. I think this bill goes a long ways towards helping get the kind of control we need until the federal government can finally act along those lines also.”
Another concern voiced by supporters of the bill was that the documentation used to receive a Faith ID was not reliable. Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle disputed that claim. Lavelle and several other local representatives received the identification cards last weekend.
Lavelle said the process included showing original proof of identification – which could include a passport or national ID card, among other options – and a proof of a current address by way of a bill or other document with a date within the last three months. Lavelle said the remaining steps included paying $10 and going through a dialogue and orientation with local law enforcement. Lavelle noted representatives from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Chapel Hill and Carrboro Police Department’s have attended all four of the Faith ID drives in Orange County so far this year.
“As I went from one area to first give my information, then to the next area to pay my fee, then around the corner to get my picture taken, the process was as orderly as one can imagine.
“In fact, perhaps even more orderly than getting a driver’s license at your local DMV.”
In addition to banning these identification cards, the proposed bill would withhold state money for school construction and local road projects from any local government body that is found to be in violation of immigration laws. The initial suspension of funding would be for the upcoming fiscal year. If the locality is still in violation after 60 days, it would lose a second year’s worth of funding.
Opponents to the bill said it gave too much power to the state attorney general to be the “judge, jury and executioner” in the cases. Supporters blamed opponents for spreading fear to immigrants who may be living in North Carolina illegally while opposing the bill, saying the bill would target the government body and not individuals.
After passing through the Senate, the bill will still need to be approved by the House before going to the governor’s desk for his signature.
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