MomsRising stands with immigrant families and our public schools.

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, the North Carolina Senate joined the NC House in voting to override Governor Cooper’s veto of HB10, an anti-immigrant bill. As a result, it will become law effective December 1, 2024.

This anti-immigrant legislation requires local sheriffs to collaborate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, increasing the risk of arrests and deportations, even for minor offenses. It also reallocates taxpayer funds from North Carolina public schools to support private school vouchers. 

As an immigrant child who was brought to this country at the age of 12, I have now been here for 27 years. It is heartbreaking to know that even after all these years, parents, children, loved ones, and communities continue to struggle with fear, sadness, and the heartache of potential separation. Yet, in spite of such challenges, our immigrant community stands strong and resilient.

At the same time, it is hard to accept that, when over a quarter of our state continues to face significant challenges from Hurricane Helene, the NC General Assembly instead prioritized:

• Forcing sheriffs to cooperate with ICE against the will of the voters who elected them
• Diverting $500 million to vouchers will primarily benefit wealthier families by making sending their children to private schools less costly.

HB 10 will undermine our community's trust in law enforcement. We have heard from those directly affected that it will deter immigrants from reporting sexual assault or domestic violence out of fear that doing so would put them at risk for deportation and separation from their families. It will also discourage immigrants from reporting crimes and serving as witnesses when they are prosecuted. This puts all of us at risk! Not only that, but this bill will increase racial profiling against communities of color, regardless of their immigration status. 

Their communities elected these sheriffs, who knew their stance against cooperating with ICE. Forcing them to be part of deportation efforts now goes against the will of the people who elected them.

Instead of providing essential funding to public schools for hiring and retaining teachers, bus drivers, teaching assistants, counselors, and special education teachers, HB 10 diverts those funds to support vouchers. These vouchers will primarily benefit wealthier families by making sending their children to private schools less costly. North Carolinians want their tax dollars to pay teachers and school personnel and provide universal free school breakfasts and lunches to combat child hunger in our state rather than subsidizing tuition for private schools.

Legislators played politics with our future by passing HB 10. They should have been working to make our state safer, support all families, improve our public schools, and make child care and housing affordable. Instead, they chose to sow hardship and division. 
MomsRising and our partners have been fighting some version of this bill for the last five years. It has been an emotional, painful, and very personal struggle for all of us who fully understand the impact that HB10 will have on NC’s immigrant and Latino communities. We continue to hear the adverse outcomes occurring in neighboring states that have enacted similar bills. We will learn from their lessons and do all we can alongside our partners to support NC’s immigrant communities and families as HB 10 goes into effect.

It has taken a village to stand together in this fight. Thank you to The Immigrants' Rights Alliance of North Carolina/ Alianza de derechos de los Inmigrantes de Carolinas del Norte. Thank you for your leadership and all our partners for their support. Thank you to those who publicly shared their personal stories and fears with us on social media or at the legislature. Thank you to all of you for standing with us all these years, for your dedication, and for taking action to show your support. 

MomsRising/MamásConPoder wants to assure you that your efforts were not in vain. It is hard to see now, but good things happened during the fight. Together, we delayed the passage of HB 10 and similar bills for six years, protecting families from the harmful impacts for much longer than many imagined possible. Many individuals found their voices and made them heard. Our presence in the General Assembly was noticed, and lawmakers have seen how strong we can be. And we reminded them time and time again that our immigrant community and families matter.

As HB 10 goes into effect, we encourage all those in the community to review and share the tips below from our partners at El Pueblo and the La Alianza de Derechos de los Inmigrantes de Carolina del Norte (ADICN): 

• During a traffic stop, remember and do these things:
  • Remain silent.
  • Only sign documents after consulting an attorney.
  • Ask for an attorney if you are detained.
  • Ask for an interpreter to make sure the communication is in your native spoken language.
• If ICE comes to your door:
  • Demand a valid warrant.
  • Only open the door after confirming the warrant is valid.

HB10 harms the immigrant community by creating fear, increasing unnecessary arrests, and damaging trust with law enforcement. You must get informed and protect your rights. Knowledge is power, and understanding your rights is the first step in defending them!
This is a difficult time in North Carolina and in our country. But we will not stop working with immigrant families and communities to protect one another and build the state and nation we all deserve.