North Carolina Republicans Look to Block Top Democrats From Challenging Trump

Lawmakers are using legislation to stop their governor and attorney general from thwarting Trump’s agenda.

State Sen. Jeff Jackson, Democrat candidate for North Carolina attorney general, speaks at a campaign event for Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 12, 2024. Nell Redmond/AP Photo

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are seeking to wield their legislative power to compel the state’s new governor and attorney general, both Democrats, to get in line with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The state’s GOP-led General Assembly has introduced multiple bills that aim to assist the Trump administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and block lawsuits challenging his policies.

A measure introduced on March 6 by House Speaker Destin Hall requires state law enforcement to hold a jailed illegal immigrant longer upon receipt of a detainer and administrative warrant and expands the list of crimes that prompt verification of a suspect’s immigration status.

Another bill that passed the North Carolina Senate on March 4 would require certain state law enforcement agencies that report to Gov. Josh Stein to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

That cooperation would require officials from the Department of Public Safety, State Highway Patrol, and Department of Adult Correction to receive immigration enforcement training under the federal 287(g) program, which allows the delegation of certain immigration enforcement functions to state and local officials.

The bill also mandates that Stein’s budget office investigate whether any illegal immigrants are unlawfully receiving state benefits.

“North Carolina made it very clear in November that they support Donald J. Trump,” state Sen. Buck Newton, the bill’s sponsor, said on March 4.

“Part of the reason for that support is his steadfast commitment to regaining control of our borders. We need to take further steps.”

A nationwide illegal immigration crackdown was one of Trump’s top promises while on the stump last year.

While that operation is underway, the administration has faced pushback from officials in Democrat-run states, including North Carolina.