NC Republicans seek Democratic support to override Gov. Stein’s immigration bill vetoes

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Republicans in the North Carolina House may be able to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of one of their controversial immigration-enforcement bills.

On June 20, Stein vetoed House Bill 318, which requires law enforcement to verify the legal status of anyone detained and hand them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they are undocumented.

Stein said he agreed with the intent of the bill, but objected to a clause that allows law enforcement to hold someone for up to 48 hours, which he stated is unconstitutional.

“I vetoed the bill because it’s unconstitutional,” Stein said. “I want us to focus on concrete measures we can take to keep the people of North Carolina safe that are constitutional. There are ways we can do that. I hope the House takes the opportunity to revisit the legislation and consider alternatives.”

The bill returned to the state House Floor on Tuesday for a potential veto override, which will require at least one Democrat to side with Republicans. Democratic State Rep. Carla Cunningham, who previously voted in favor of the bill, may provide Republicans with the necessary votes for the override.

Stein also voted Senate Bill 152, which would force an audit of state agencies to ensure state resources and money only go to American citizens. Although Republicans in the state Senate have enough numbers to override vetoes, they need the state House to concur and no Democrats in either chamber voted for the bill. Unless at least one state House Democrat flips their vote, the veto cannot be overwritten.