CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers are working on hashing out bills that could become laws. But as it is with politics, not every potential piece of legislation is going to be popular.
Such is the case with House Bill 10 (HB 10). If it becomes law, it would require local law enforcement agencies across the Tar Heel State to investigate the immigration status of every person brought to jail and inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they can’t figure it out.
At a rally Thursday in Marshall Park in Uptown Charlotte, some say the crippling poison of hate still lingers, placing a predatory lens on the immigrant community.
"Once again we are seeing immigrants being utilized as scapegoats by our state," said one speaker.
Nathan Aldredge, a senior pastor at Harrison United Methodist Church in Pineville, said laws like what HB 10 could become only break trust both for communities and within them.
"This is just a big whip lash on how things were done before," he said.
While supporters argue the bill would increase safety, some residents who gathered to rally against it said it's an attack on many families who consider North Carolina home.
HB 10 is only one of the bills sparking attention; another controversial bill passed in the Senate is HB 237. If passed, it would ban North Carolinians from wearing masks in public spaces, including for medical reasons.
Supporters say it will protect communities from people who use masks to commit crimes and conceal their identity. But HB 237 has plenty of criticism from citizens who have concerns about health and safety.
I" feel like that should be a choice," said one person at the rally. "There are people that have underlying conditions like myself that will always wear a mask until this COVID dies down."
Some people are hoping the bill will be amended to include clear exceptions for citizens with health issues before it's possibly passed.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.