June 16, 2025

Dear Governor Stein:

The People’s Alliance urges you to veto SB 153 and HB 318 quickly and decisively. Immigrants are an
essential part of our community. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and friends. We all want to live in safe
communities, but scapegoating immigrants, who research shows are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.
citizens, is not the answer.

The Durham People’s Alliance (PA) is a grassroots membership organization that has been advancing a
progressive vision for Durham and NC for over 40 years. We advance progressive issues and policies through
research, organizing, advocacy, and democratic engagement.

The requirements in SB 153 are overly burdensome for state agencies tasked with providing social services
and ensuring North Carolina residents are able to access public benefits for which they are eligible.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the vast majority of public benefits, and agencies already have
procedures in place to verify eligibility, making the requirements of the bill not only discriminatory, but also
redundant and overly bureaucratic.

HB 318 would sweep up even more people who are accused, not convicted, of a crime -- including non-violent
crimes -- in cruel immigration enforcement activities that tear families apart. Delaying the start clock would lead
to longer periods of incarceration, raising 4th amendment concerns. These laws will also likely lead to increased
surveillance and racial profiling of Black and Brown communities, harming North Carolinians who look or speak
a certain way regardless of their citizenship status, and erode the trust between communities and the
protective services they should be able to rely on.

Requiring local law enforcement, the state highway patrol, or other state agencies to enter into agreements
with ICE or otherwise participate in immigration enforcement distracts from their primary obligations and forces
our state to play a role in the inhumane immigration enforcement actions we have seen on the national stage.
Elected officials and law enforcement are sworn to protect and uphold the U.S. constitution. The People’s
Alliance is concerned that ICE officers across the nation are ignoring due process and violating the
constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and undocumented immigrants alike.
We urge you to uphold North Carolinians’ constitutional rights by vetoing SB 153 and and 318.

Respectfully,
The Board of Directors
People’s Alliance
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