Bill > S982

This bill, titled the "Make Enforcement Liable & Transparent (MELT) Act," aims to repeal a previous law (Session Law 2025-85) that expanded cooperation between local jails and federal immigration enforcement, finding it chilled community trust and led to detention based on immigration status rather than risk. Key provisions include requiring a judicial warrant, issued by a judge or magistrate based on probable cause, for federal immigration enforcement actions like arrests or searches within North Carolina, meaning administrative warrants from agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are insufficient for these actions, and prohibiting state and local law enforcement from detaining individuals solely on such administrative warrants or transferring custody without a judicial warrant. The bill also appropriates $4 million to community-based legal service providers for immigration-related legal aid, mandates that law enforcement officers wear clear agency identification on uniforms and identify themselves by name or badge number upon request, requires federal law enforcement to wear operational body-worn cameras in North Carolina and makes them civilly liable for violations, and increases penalties for impersonating federal law enforcement, including immigration agents. Furthermore, it prohibits state or local entities from entering agreements to perform federal immigration officer functions, restricts law enforcement assistance in immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like courthouses, places of worship, schools, and hospitals, requires the federal government to provide the Governor with lists of detained and deported individuals and immediate notice for detained juveniles, and prohibits retaliation against workplaces that train staff on Fourth Amendment protections.