Immigration Reform In North Carolina: Governor McCrory Signs Law Banning 'Sanctuary Cities'

North Carolina became the latest corner of the country to ban so-called “sanctuary” cities when the state’s governor, Republican Pat McCrory, signed a bill Wednesday targeting the practice. Under the law, cities are no longer allowed to adopt sanctuary policies or accept certain forms identification, according to the Huffington Post.

McCrory signed the legislation in Greensboro, where the city council last week voted in disapproval of the bill. It is one of several cities in the state that has sanctuary policies in place that provide undocumented immigrants a level of confidence that they won’t be deported for minor offenses like driving with a broken tail light.

“Today, North Carolina is standing up for the rule of law, which is central to North Carolina values and our country’s values,” McCrory said in a statement. “Public safety officials must have the flexibility and tools to investigate crimes, and sanctuary city policies deprive law enforcement of those tools.”

The bill was approved by the North Carolina statehouse in September and requires local governments to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as sign contracts only with companies that check the immigration status of employees. Police and government agencies will no longer be able to accept identification from foreign governments, which is often the only identification undocumented immigrants have.

The North Carolina law comes as a part of a broader movement in the United States against sanctuary cities that was sparked by the July murder of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who was shot in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant who had a criminal record but was not deported.

At the federal level, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, both Republican presidential candidates, have co-sponsored legislation that would limit funding for cities like San Francisco that do not comply with federal immigration detention requests.