Legislation that requires four state agencies, including the Highway Patrol, to sign agreements 287(gThe law to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became law after the North Carolina House of Representatives overrode Governor Josh Stein's veto on Wednesday, June 24.

Also, SB 153 “North Carolina Border Protection Act”It seeks to audit public programs to ensure restrictions on undocumented immigrants. 

Furthermore, it limits the autonomy of state universities and local governments on immigration issues, and reinforces the prohibition of sanctuary policies, eliminating local government immunity.

The Department of Public Safety, the Highway Patrol, the Department of Corrections, and the Bureau of Investigation are the four agencies that must sign the 287(g) agreements with ICE.

Although this law takes effect immediately, the various agencies will receive instructions on the new deadline to sign the respective 287(g) agreement with the immigration authorities, since the deadline set in the original draft was August 2025.

Two representatives paved the way

House rules require a 60% majority vote of members present to override vetoes.

Republicans were able to override the vetoes because Representatives Shelly Willingham, a Democrat from Edgecombe, and Carla Cunningham, a former Democrat from Mecklenburg now an independent, were not present during the votes.

You might be interested in:  Suzy Gerónimo, a North Carolina activist in ICE custody, will face a bail hearing this Thursday.

Anti-immigrant projects advanced despite governor's veto

The North Carolina General Assembly passed two bills on June 10, 2025 that strengthened cooperation between state law enforcement agencies and ICE.

The SB 153 and HB 318 legislations, promoted by Republican legislators, followed the mass deportation plan promoted by President Donald Trump.

Both proposals were vetoed by Governor Josh Stein on June 29, 2025, but were returned to the General Assembly for legislators to consider overriding his decision.

On Tuesday, July 29, 2025, first the House of Representatives and then the state Senate overrode the governor's veto, making the law HB 318.

For its part, the SB 153 It obtained the necessary votes in the upper house, but it remained pending a vote in the House of Representatives.

Reactions

Following the override of the veto, Senator Philp Berger posted on his Facebook page: "The North Carolina Border Protection Act is now law! This requires state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials and holds sanctuary cities accountable for their defiance of state law."

The General Assembly is taking decisive steps to end sanctuary policies and address illegal immigration. I am grateful that the House was able to override Governor Stein's dangerous veto.

Law at the service of mass deportations

For its part, in a press release, the organization El Pueblo described the legislation as a “blatant anti-immigrant attack with purely political motivations.”. 

“This law will put several state law enforcement agencies, such as the Highway Patrol, at the service of the federal administration’s mass deportation campaign, instead of attending to their primary mission, which is to protect and serve the entire North Carolina community,” they said today.

“This legislation has nothing to do with public safety; it only seeks to persecute, terrorize, and criminalize immigrants, generating even more fear and uncertainty in a vulnerable community that has already been hit by the cruel and abusive operations carried out in the state by the Border Patrol last November.”

“We are already experiencing it throughout the south of the country”

Siembra NC warned that similar agreements in other states have increased immigration operations and led to the detention of workers during their commutes to employment.

The organization said it has already provided support to families of at least ten North Carolina residents affected by this type of action.

“North Carolina doesn’t have to imagine how these agreements can work in practice, because we’re already seeing it all over the South,” said Andreina Malki, Advocacy Director for Siembra NC.

“In May alone, in South Carolina, we saw dozens of workers detained on their way to work during joint operations involving state law enforcement agencies, including workers who had driver's licenses or work permits,” he said.

Maliki also indicated that the new law "lays the groundwork for that same expansion to happen here in North Carolina."

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It's the law: Four state agencies must sign 287(g) agreements with ICE in North Carolina

by Walter Gomez, Enlace Latino NC
June 24, 2026

Enlace Latino NCJune 24, 2026 Legislation requiring four state agencies, including the Highway Patrol, to sign 287(g ) agreements to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became law after the North Carolina House of Representatives overrode Governor Josh Stein's veto on Wednesday, June 24. Also, SB 153, the "North Carolina Border Protection Act," seeks to audit public programs to ensure restrictions on undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, it limits the autonomy of state universities and local governments on immigration issues, and reinforces the prohibition of sanctuary policies , eliminating local government immunity. The Department of Public Safety, the Highway Patrol, the Department of Corrections, and the Bureau of Investigation are the four agencies that must sign the 287(g) agreements with ICE. Although this law takes effect immediately, the various agencies will receive instructions on the new deadline to sign the respective 287(g) agreement with the immigration authorities, since the deadline set in the original draft was August 2025. Two representatives paved the way House rules require a 60% majority vote of members present to override vetoes. Republicans were able to override the vetoes because Representatives Shelly Willingham, a Democrat from Edgecombe, and Carla Cunningham, a former Democrat from Mecklenburg now an independent, were not present during the votes. You might be interested in: Suzy Gerónimo, North Carolina activist in ICE custody, will face a bail hearing this Thursday Anti-immigrant projects advanced despite governor's veto The North Carolina General Assembly passed two bills on June 10, 2025 that strengthened cooperation between state law enforcement agencies and ICE. The SB 153 and HB 318 legislations, promoted by Republican legislators, followed the mass deportation plan promoted by President Donald Trump. Both proposals were vetoed by Governor Josh Stein on June 29, 2025, but were returned to the General Assembly for legislators to consider overriding his decision. On Tuesday, July 29, 2025, first the House of Representatives and then the state Senate overrode the governor's veto, making HB 318 law. Meanwhile, SB 153 obtained the necessary votes in the upper house, but remained pending a vote in the House of Representatives. Reactions Following the override of the veto, Senator Philp Berger posted on his FB page: The North Carolina Border Protection Act is now law! This requires state security agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials and holds sanctuary cities accountable for their defiance of state law. The General Assembly is taking decisive steps to end sanctuary policies and tackle illegal immigration. I am grateful that the House was able to override Governor Stein's dangerous veto. Law at the service of mass deportations Meanwhile, in a press release, the organization El Pueblo described the legislation as a "blatant anti-immigrant attack with purely political motivations . " "This law will put several state law enforcement agencies, such as the Highway Patrol, at the service of the federal administration's mass deportation campaign, instead of attending to their primary mission, which is to protect and serve the entire North Carolina community," they said today. "This legislation has nothing to do with public safety; it only seeks to persecute, terrorize, and criminalize immigrants, generating even more fear and uncertainty in a vulnerable community that has already been hit by the cruel and abusive operations carried out in the state by the Border Patrol last November." "We are already experiencing it throughout the south of the country" Siembra NC warned that similar agreements in other states have increased immigration operations and led to the detention of workers during their commutes to employment. The organization said it has already provided support to families of at least ten North Carolina residents affected by this type of action. "North Carolina doesn't have to imagine how these agreements can work in practice, because we're already seeing it all across the South," said Andreina Malki, Advocacy Director for Siembra NC. " "In May alone, in South Carolina, we saw dozens of workers detained on their way to work during joint operations involving state law enforcement agencies, including workers who had driver's licenses or work permits," he said. In addition. Maliki indicated that the new law "lays the groundwork for that same expansion to happen here in North Carolina." This <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org/es-ley-cuatro-agencias-estatales-deben-firmar-acuerdos-287-g-con-ice-en-carolina-del-norte/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org">Enlace Latino NCand is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://enlacelatinonc.org/es-ley-cuatro-agencias-estatales-deben-firmar-atrabajos-4.0-g-con-ice-en-carolina-del-norte/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }

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