Bill > S917

This bill, known as the "Repeal Session Law 2025-85 and Support Immigrant Legal Defense Act," repeals a previous law that increased cooperation between local jails and federal immigration enforcement, finding that it harmed community trust and undermined due process by creating additional detention based on immigration status rather than risk. The bill establishes a new requirement that federal immigration enforcement actions within North Carolina, such as arrests, searches, or entries into residences, must be conducted under a judicial warrant, which is defined as a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate based on probable cause, and explicitly states that administrative warrants issued by agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are insufficient for these actions. It also limits the role of state and local law enforcement in immigration detention, prohibiting them from holding individuals solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer or administrative warrant beyond their lawful release date and allowing them to decline cooperation with federal immigration enforcement in the absence of a judicial warrant, while still permitting cooperation with valid criminal warrants. Furthermore, the bill appropriates four million dollars to community-based organizations to provide legal services to immigrants, including representation in removal proceedings, assistance with asylum claims, and help with stabilizing immigration status, with the funds to be used for direct representation, legal education, outreach, and related administrative costs.