The House bill entitled “Citizens Protection Act of 2017” seems to be designed to do anything but protect some of the most vulnerable among us.
The bill threatens to withhold funds from sanctuary cities who do not enforce federal immigration laws and makes it difficult for undocumented immigrants to post pretrial bail. The bill would allow judges to refuse bail for undocumented immigrants who are charged with a driving offense, drug crime, gang crime, or any other crime if wanted by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement.)
Sponsored by Republican Representatives Warren, Collins, Jordan, and Adams, the bill was met with strong opposition. Representatives from ACLU of North Carolina, El Pueblo, Students from NC State University, and immigration attorneys all opposed the bill. Questions about the constitutionality and the inherently discriminatory provisions of the bill were raised. There is no real justification for making the bar to pretrial release much higher for this group of people.
The bill has yet to be set for a committee vote. Read more about the bill.
