From the HERE City State Desk
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol has released details on how its troopers will carry out immigration enforcement under a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Highway Patrol signed a 287(g) Task Force Model agreement with ICE last month, as required by a state law the Republican-led General Assembly passed this year over Gov. Josh Stein’s veto. Federal records list the agreement as signed Sept. 27.
Under the agreement, only officers in the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Criminal Interdiction units are eligible to take part. Commercial vehicle officers inspect trucks and work at weigh stations, while interdiction officers focus on drug trafficking, smuggling and other crime on state highways.
Eligible officers must be selected, trained and certified by ICE through a 40-hour online course covering immigration authority, civil rights and complaint procedures. Once certified, they can question people about their right to remain in the United States, make certain immigration-related arrests and transfer people to ICE detention.
Patrol documents say immigration enforcement cannot be started solely because of a person’s race, ethnicity, national origin or language proficiency. Officers who are not designated for the program cannot stop, detain or arrest someone based on actual or suspected immigration status.
Other state agencies have signed agreements as well. Federal records show the State Bureau of Investigation signed a Task Force Model agreement Oct. 1, the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division signed one Sept. 28, and the Department of Adult Correction signed a Warrant Service Officer agreement Sept. 29.