The Senate Committee on Rules and Operations approved HB 10 first thing Wednesday morning following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the proposal on Tuesday. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration among the whole chamber.
House Bill 10 passed in the House chamber last year at the lead of primary sponsor Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell. The bill would mandate all North Carolina sheriffs cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that issues detainers to remove noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity.
During public testimony on Wednesday, several speakers spoke in Spanish with a translator standing beside them, including one woman who brought a personal attack against Rep. Hall for recent headlines about a car accident that happened during his wedding weekend that resulted in his friend being sent to the hospital.
The translator said: “The HB 10 is trying to maintain secure our community. But it’s ironic that their main sponsor, Representative Destin Hall, has put in danger different drivers in different incidents in the highway, going in a car with a person that was drunk as he was recorded by one local media if there was alcohol in the car.”
The Assembly recently reported that a 911 call raised questions about the incident.
“I would just say because it was a personal attack, your comments are pathetic and compare somebody being injured in a freak accident to folks who are committing serious felony offenses,” responded Hall.
The state legislature was bustling with activists on Wednesday morning and many carried signs and wore shirts against HB 10. Senate Leader Phil Berger’s office has confirmed he is in favor of passing the legislation this session, as data shows North Carolinians’ top issue heading into the 2024 presidential election is immigration.
The Senate floor is the final hurdle for HB 10 before it would become North Carolina law.
SEE ALSO: NC Senate advances immigration bill that mandates cooperation with ICE