Raleigh, January 31, 2024.- The non-partisan organization, El Pueblo, stands in opposition to the new attack carried out by Representative Tim Moore against immigrants in North Carolina and calls on the community to stop his plans to turn the state into a hostile place for thousands of immigrant families.
On the morning of January 31st, Moore and other House Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, asking him to commit to enacting a law that would force sheriffs and police departments in the state to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In addition, they demand that he cut off any type of collaboration with the federal government to welcome immigrants from the U.S. – Mexico border into the state, as well as send members of the North Carolina National Guard to Texas to support Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s immigration restrictions.
In the letter, they also threaten to use their supermajority in the Legislature to take action against immigrants during the short session of the General Assembly that begins in April.
“Our communities continue to suffer from the effects of the pandemic, every day families have to deal with the rise in food prices due to inflation, our children must study in schools that have few resources. Instead of worrying about that, Moore and other legislators prefer to waste the tax dollars of North Carolinians for their personal purposes by again targeting immigrants. We are tired of this,” said Iliana Santillán, Executive Director of El Pueblo.
Fact-checking Moore
To support his demands, Moore resorts to unfounded arguments and anti-immigrant rhetoric. In his letter, he states that immigrants are triggering the increase in criminal activity, as well as deaths from fentanyl and human and drug trafficking.
Several studies have shown that immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes, even in Texas, which is the only state that keeps crime statistics based on the immigration status of detainees (https://www.cato.org/publications/immigration -research-policy-brief/criminal-immigrants-texas-illegal-immigrant)
Moore also suggests in his letter that North Carolina will be safer if law enforcement agencies collaborate with ICE to deport undocumented immigrants. However, several sheriffs have said in the past that the impact is exactly the opposite and that such policies create distrust between their agencies and the communities they serve.
Call to Action
El Pueblo calls on the community to stop Moore’s intent to turn North Carolina into a hostile place for thousands of immigrant families by calling on Governor Cooper to stand with immigrants as he has done in the past.
People can email Governor Roy Cooper directly via this link: https://secure.everyaction.com/c7o66_ZRgUW3idE_TBnDFw2 or call his office at (919) 814-2000.
Full statement from El Pueblo: https://elpueblo.org/2024/01/31/statement-in-response-to-a-new-attack-against-immigrant-communities-in-nc/
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