State of North Carolina secondary Archives: on Immigration

Valerie Foushee: Voted NO on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

The case of the Honduran man was the most recent of several that prompted North Carolina's Republican-controlled state Legislature to pass a bill requiring local sheriffs to honor ICE detainers. Cooper vetoed the bill last week. State law enforcement officials opposed Cooper's veto, as did President Donald Trump. Cooper said the legislation, House Bill 370, would drain resources from local law enforcement.

Governor's Veto Message: This legislation is using fear to divide North Carolina. Current law allows the state to jail and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status. This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; State Sen. Valerie Foushee voted NO; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Wiley Nickel: Voted NO on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; State Sen. Wiley Nickel voted NO; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Al Pisano: No opinion on pathway to citizenship

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens"?

A: N/A for Governor's Race

Source: OnTheIssues 2020 interview on North Carolina Governor race Apr 30, 2020

Cal Cunningham: Comprehensive immigration reform, protect DREAMers

Cal takes the safety and security of North Carolinians seriously, including border security. Cal believes we must pass comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our broken system and modernizes it for the economy of today, grows North Carolina's economy, protects DREAMers, and provides a fair pathway to citizenship. Instead of separating families and caging children, we should be investing in the necessary technology and trained staff to secure our borders. Source: 2020 North Carolina Senate campaign website CalForNC.com Jun 10, 2020

Chris Rey: Support giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship

The four Democratic candidates for US Senate in North Carolina disagree on what to do about immigrants who are in the country unlawfully. Deborah Ross of Raleigh and Chris Rey of Spring Lake said at a Thursday evening televised debate they would support legislation that would give these immigrants a path to citizenship. Source: WWAY-TV-3 on 2016 North Carolina Senate race Feb 25, 2016

Dan Forest: Secure our borders against illegal immigration

I believe in securing our borders against illegal immigration
I believe in ending corporate welfare and recruitment incentives and replacing it with lower taxes for all North Carolina businesses

Source: Ballotpedia.org on 2020 North Carolina Governor race Sep 9, 2019

Dan Forest: No nation has ever survived diversity and multiculturalism

Dan Forest faced pushback on social media after liberal news outlet Think Progress posted a story about him warning Cornerstone Church in Salisbury that "diversity and multiculturalism" could be harmful to America. The church posted a video of the June 23 service on its Facebook page.

"God doesn't want us to divide our state," Forest said. "He doesn't want us to divide our nation. He wants us to bring people together and live in the world like the Acts 2 church did. And yet no other nation, my friends, has ever survived the diversity and multiculturalism that America faces today, because of a lack of assimilation, because of this division, and because of this identity politics."

"No other nation has ever survived this. But no other nation has ever been founded on the principles of Jesus Christ, that begin the redemption and reconciliation through the atoning blood of our savior," he continued. Those comments came during a speech that otherwise focused on the need for unity and "healing."

Source: News & Observer on 2020 North Carolina gubernatorial race Jul 18, 2019

Dan Forest: Require students to pass US citizenship exam

Requiring students to pass the U.S. citizenship exam before graduating. Students should not be able to graduate from our high schools without knowing key information about our nation and its government, like who serves as Commander in Chief of the armed forces or what branch of government makes the laws. Source: 2020 North Carolina Governor campaign website DanForest.com Dec 3, 2019

Dan Forest: Claims thousands of children attacked by foreign criminals

On immigration: "Please, as you're writing your stories think carefully about what words you use," Forest said. "Many of you are going to be struggling, trying to not use words like 'illegal' and 'alien' and words like 'criminal' and 'rapist' and 'murder' and 'child sex offender.'"

He then offered an unsourced claim that there were "tens of thousands of children in our state that have been victims of these [undocumented] violent criminals already" who will "grow up with that on their mind."

Source: American Independent on 2020 North Carolina governor race Dec 3, 2019

Deborah Ross: Support giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship

Deborah Ross: Support the DREAM Act

Q: On Immigration: Should America's 11 million undocumented residents have an earned path to citizenship?

Burr: No

Ross: Yes

Q: On Immigration: Support the DREAM Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they meet certain conditions? (Need to have graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military.)

Burr: No. Considers Obama's Executive Order to be overreach.

Ross: Yes

Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 North Carolina Senate race Oct 9, 2016

Erica Smith: Supports DREAM Act for route to citizenship

I support the DREAM Act without exiting the country for access to a fair, legal route to citizenship. Source: 2020 North Carolina Senate website EricaForUS.org Feb 7, 2020

Erica Smith: Voted NO on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; Sen. Smith voted NO; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Erskine Bowles: More border security

Border Security: Problem: The US has thousands of miles of borders and the most active border between two countries. In 2002, approximately 277 million people entered the US by land from Mexico. Daily crossings in both directions are estimated to be close to a million people, 250,000 passenger vehicles and 12,000 trucks. Hundreds of miles of our borders are inadequately monitored. Mohamed Atta, the suicide pilot who flew a Boeing 767 into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11th, also entered the US via Canada.

Increase the utilization of aerial and ground surveillance technologies and personnel to enhance US border security.
Consolidate terrorist watch lists and give officials better access to them.
Continue to review and reform the Department of Homeland Security's Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program to better keep terrorists out of the country, while respecting the privacy of law-abiding foreign visitors and immigrants.

Source: A Homeland Security Plan for North Carolina Sep 30, 2004

Garland Tucker: Biggest issues are immigration & government spending

Tucker said, "I am a conservative I believe we need less government less spending and a secure border. The economy under Trump is phenomenal. As a long time Conservative, I see it as being out of the Reagan Playbook. The two big issues are immigration and government spending and I am looking forward to having a debate with Thom Tillis about these issues." Source: Halsey News on 2020 North Carolina Senate race May 8, 2019

Garland Tucker: Agree with Trump on "emergency declaration" to fund wall

On the border wall: "When President Trump made his Emergency Declaration to build the Wall, I agreed. Thom Tillis not only disagreed, he published an op-ed in The Washington Post opposing the President. Then two weeks later, at the last minute, under pressure, Tillis flip-flopped. Source: ABC News-13 WLOS on 2020 North Carolina Senate race May 9, 2019

Holly Grange: Mandate that sheriffs comply with ICE requests

State Rep. Holly Grange announced that she is running for governor. Grange's campaign announcement video highlights her anti-abortion stance and says she will sign a bill mandating that sheriffs in the state comply with ICE requests. Source: News & Observer on 2020 North Carolina gubernatorial race Jul 18, 2019

Holly Grange: Voted YES on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; Rep. Grange voted YES; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Jeff Jackson: No blanket amnesty, but bring people out of shadows

[On immigration]: "No one is calling for blanket amnesty," Jackson said to the crowd about illegal immigration, "but there has to be a way to bring people out of the shadows, and all we're talking about now is a system that would make sense for them. But you've got a bunch of folks that are going to use that as a political target every single time. That's what they want. They don't want to solve the problem. They want the fight. They want the culture war." Source: The Times-News on 2022 North Carolina Senate race Apr 27, 2021

Kay Hagan: Inaction is not an option; comprehensive reform is best

On immigration, Tillis knocked the "bipartisan failure" to secure the border, and he criticized the president for considering executive actions to slow deportations.

On that count, Hagan agreed, saying the president "should not take" action to ease deportations. But she also defended her vote in favor of the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate last June, noting its variety of Republican co-sponsors and saying it would throw considerably more resources at border security. "Inaction is not an option," she said. "Speaker Tillis has no plan to solve our immigration system."

Source: CBS News on 2014 North Carolina Senate debate Sep 3, 2014

Mark Walker: Opposed to all forms of amnesty; close porous borders

Mark is opposed to all forms of immigration amnesty. The immigration system is broken, and we must fix it. Our first priority must be to secure our porous borders; without secure borders, reforms will have no effect.

Once we have made progress on border security, we can implement reforms to guest worker programs and the current citizenship process to ensure that those who are patiently waiting in line and following the law are able to enter legally and serve as productive members of our society.

Source: 2014 North Carolina House campaign website, WalkerForNC.com Oct 10, 2014

Mark Walker: Protect the border and prevent illegal entry

Q: Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry of persons into the country?

WALKER: Strongly Agree

Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 North Carolina House race Sep 30, 2014

Richard Hudson: End "birth right citizenship"

Q: Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin?

A: No.

Q: Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police?

A: Yes. We have got to secure the border and stop the flow of illegal immigrants. Then we need to reform the legal immigration system so it is easier to come here legally than illegally. We need to reform our visa system so that we issue visas based on employer needs, not based on a lottery. We also need to end "birth right citizenship." Once we achieve these reforms, then we can consider what to do with illegal immigrants who are already here. They should never have a path to citizenship, but we need to deal with them compassionately and humanely.

Source: North Carolina Congressional 2012 Political Courage Test Oct 30, 2012

Roy Cooper: Supports "pause" in Syrian refugee immigration to NC

Roy Cooper is facing criticism for saying he wants to "pause" Syrian refugees coming to North Carolina. "I support asking the federal government to pause refugee entries to make sure we have the most effective screening process possible so our humanitarian efforts are not hijacked. At the same time, we must not let political fear-mongering on this issue divert our attention and resources from stopping terrorists who may already be here or who are trying to get into our country in other ways." Source: News-Observer on 2016 North Carolina gubernatorial race Nov 19, 2015

Roy Cooper: Vetoed bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Sean Haugh: Free movement across borders instead of curbs on immigration

In the first ever US Senate Libertarian candidates forum, Sean Haugh outlined several areas where his views contrasted with those of his opponent, Tim D'Annunzio, including:

Immigration (Haugh favors free movement across borders; D'Annunzio advocates curbs on immigration)
The Drug War (Haugh would end it; D'Annunzio is ambivalent)
Abortion (Haugh says there is no role for government in regulating it; D'Annunzio asserts government should protect the rights of the unborn)

Source: 2014 North Carolina Senate campaign website, SeanHaugh.com Jul 2, 2014

Sean Haugh: I believe in open borders

D'Annunzio said it is impractical to think all illegals can be deported, but "I don't believe in amnesty." He supports building a border fence and enforcing laws already on the books.

"I believe in open borders," Haugh said. "You should be able to have the right to travel. You should have the right to seek to improve your life." Some people still come here to seek the American Dream, he said. "I think there are very, very few reasons why we should restrict free travel across our border."

Source: Carolina Journal on 2014 North Carolina Senate debate Apr 8, 2014

Thom Tillis: Protect the borders; prevent illegal entry

Question topic: Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry of persons into the country.

Tillis: Strongly Agree

Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 North Carolina Senate race Sep 30, 2014

Thom Tillis: Bipartian failure to secure the border

On immigration, Tillis knocked the "bipartisan failure" to secure the border, and he criticized the president for considering executive actions to slow deportations.

Source: CBS News on 2014 North Carolina Senate debate Sep 3, 2014

Thom Tillis: Amnesty shouldn't be on the table

Standing alongside Jeb Bush, Tillis gently put distance between himself and his guest of honor, on the issue of immigration: "You have to make it clear that amnesty shouldn't be on the table," Tillis said, referring to how to address those immigrants currently in the country illegally. "That doesn't negate any opportunity to provide some with legal status and other things, but you only do that after you seal the borders and you make the problem no longer grow."

Jeb Bush supports a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants and complained that not addressing the immigration system had "done us harm economically." He said, "If it was framed in that way, I don't think there's a big debate in the Republican Party about the need to do this."

But an easy resolution is not likely in his party. After a reporter noted that Bush's immigration stance was more "conciliatory," the former governor chuckled and the Republicans in the audience let out a brief, nervous laugh.

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 North Carolina Senate debate Sep 24, 2014

Dale Folwell: Requiring student birth certificates would keep schools safe

Principals would have to ask for a birth certificate, instead of having the option to request one like they do now. Several immigration reform groups have said this bill is meant to intimidate immigrant families and keep their children out of public schools. Sponsoring state Rep. Dale Folwell said it's about keeping schools safe and setting statewide standards for entry. Source: Carolina Public Press on 2024 North Carolina Governor race Jun 8, 2011

Mark Robinson: Muslims are not immigrants; they are INVADERS

Robinson's Facebook page has more than 100,000 followers, and most of them elicit dozens of supportive comments echoing his opinions. Among the candidate's posts: He says that people "who support this mass delusion called transgenderism" are trying "to turn God's creation backwards, and make it into a sickening image of rebellion to glorify Satan."

He says the popular movie "Black Panther" was "created by an agnostic Jew and put to film by (a) satanic marxist," and "was only created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets," using a Yiddish slur for Black. Muslims, he says, "refuse to assimilate to our ways while demanding respect they have not earned." He argues that they "are not 'immigrants,' they are INVADERS." He criticizes Black voters for supporting the Democratic Party given its past racist stances. He says they're "voting for the very people who have abused them throughout our history. That's what happens when negroes don't read."

Source: News & Observer on 2024 North Carolina Gubernatorial race Oct 10, 2020

Andy Wells: Secure the border and stop illegal immigration, period

Question: What about our border?

Answer: "We should secure the border and stop illegal immigration. Period."

Source: 2024 North Carolina Governor campaign website AndyWells.com Nov 3, 2023

Andy Wells: Allow those to immigrate who benefit our country

Q: IMMIGRATION: Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?

A: Those that offer a benefit to our country and appreciate the opportunity we offer.

Q: I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.

A: Strongly Agree

Q: State, sheriff and local law enforcement agencies should be required to participate in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) Program to enhance the safety and security of their communities to identify and detain aliens.

A: Strongly Agree

Source: AFA iVoterGuide on 2020 North Carolina Lt. Governor race Mar 3, 2020

Dan Bishop: Voted YES on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

HB370: The case of the Honduran man was the most recent of several that prompted North Carolina's Republican-controlled state Legislature to pass a bill requiring local sheriffs to honor ICE detainers. Cooper vetoed the bill last week. State law enforcement officials opposed Cooper's veto, as did President Donald Trump. Cooper said the legislation, House Bill 370, would drain resources from local law enforcement.

Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; State Sen. Dan Bishop voted YES; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Apr 24, 2017

Tim Moore: Voted YES on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative outcome: Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; Tim Moore voted YES; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Andy Wells: Voted YES on requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 25-18-7 on June 24; State Sen. Andy Wells voted YES; passed House, 62-53-5 on Aug. 20; vetoed by Gov. Cooper on Aug 21.

Source: The Daily Signal on North Carolina voting record H370 Aug 26, 2019

Michael Whatley: Would push to eliminate sanctuary cities

Whatley said at his campaign launch event that his campaign will focus on "North Carolina values," including a strong economy, public safety and the country being respected around the world. He said he would push to eliminate sanctuary cities, keep taxes low and support the police and veterans. Source: The Hill's Jared Gans on 2026 North Carolina Senate race Jul 31, 2025

Thom Tillis: Introduce bill holding sanctuary jurisdictions accountable

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis has labeled nine counties in North Carolina as "sanctuary jurisdictions" that he says do not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tillis posted a map highlighting those counties, including Mecklenburg, Guilford and Wake. Tillis says he will introduce legislation to hold sanctuary jurisdictions accountable in the coming weeks, including Mecklenburg County.

Source: WFAE, "Sanctuary," on 2026 North Carolina Senate race Apr 29, 2025

The above quotations are from State of North Carolina Politicians: secondary Archives. Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration. Click here for other issues (main summary page).
*2024 Presidential contenders on Immigration:*
	*Candidates for President & Vice-President:* V.P.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(I-CA) Chase Oliver(L-GA) Dr.Jill Stein(D-MA) Former Pres.Donald Trump(R-FL) Sen.J.D.Vance(R-OH) Gov.Tim Walz(D-MN) Dr.Cornel West(I-NJ)	*2024 presidential primary contenders:* Pres.Joe_Biden(D-DE) N.D.Gov.Doug Burgum(R) N.J.Gov.Chris_Christie(R) Fla.Gov.Ron_DeSantis(R) S.C.Gov.Nikki_Haley(R) Ark.Gov.Asa_Hutchinson(R) Former V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) U.S.Rep.Dean_Phillips(D-MN) Vivek_Ramaswamy(R-OH) S.C.Sen.Tim_Scott(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 06, 2026