News Roundup

Two immigration enforcement bills have passed at the General Assembly and are now on Governor Josh Stein’s desk. The deadline for his signature or veto is today. The first bill, SB 153, contains several provisions, one of which would require state law enforcement agencies such as the State Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Safety to contact ICE if they have someone in custody who is not a legal resident or U.S. citizen. State law enforcement officers would be trained to act as immigration officers pursuant to the 287(g) program. The second bill, HB 318, makes updates to the previously passed HB 10. Existing law, discussed by Brittany here, requires county jails to inquire into the immigration status of individuals charged with certain felonies and high-level misdemeanors and contact ICE if the jail is unable to verify that an individual is a legal resident. The new law would expand the list of crimes for which jails would have to check status. In addition, existing law mandates that a 48-hour hold be imposed upon receipt of an ICE detainer.  The updated law would require that the 48-hour hold be imposed once the individual would otherwise be released, rather than upon receipt of the detainer. Read on for more criminal law news. Potential hemp regulations. In other news at the General Assembly, a bill has advanced out of the North Carolina Senate banning the sale of hemp to people under 21 and banning hemp on school grounds. Legislators say that children need to be protected from the marketing [...]