This evening I attended a Chapel Hill/UNC forum about immigration and the law. The county sheriff and town police chief were there. They said the IDs issued by Faith Groups were very helpful and encouraged other districts to use them. The current Trump immigration order bans refugees from all countries not just the 7 nations often listed. None of the officials remember any local police being involved with deporting people. However, depending on the crime someone is arrested for, data is entered into systems which can be accessed by ICE. The immigration lawyers present advised legal immigrants with visas or Green Cards not to travel outside of the US nor near the US border states.
Author
ldhintz
Moved to North Carolina in 1983 after finishing M.S. in ecology from University of Arizona.
Comments
State Highway Patrol
One thing no one mentioned was the policy of the State Highway Patrol towards immigrants. They are often visible on 54/15-501 and I 40.
Sanctuary
Sanctuary is an old idea of protecting people. In the 80s in my home town (Tiffin, Ohio) people fleeing war in Central America were hidden (illegally) in the Catholic Convent buildings until they could find a safe way to travel to Canada. Today there are official registered sanctuary cities that have official policies towards immigrants. Chapel Hill (nor any other NC city) is not registered. But local communities do have policies that make it safer for immigrants and that is what Chapel Hill tries to do. Local police do not enforce federal immigration law (nor federal tax law). Local police always make decisions on where to put their energy. How much time should be spent on traffic law enforcement? Drug possession law enforcement? Who knows what Trump will try and and force local governments to do but thanks to the federal system of government the Republicans mentions so much there is a big difference between town and nation in policing. (This is a repost I wrote to a different thread.)