Members of North Carolina’s immigrant community are speaking out against state Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, who last week, during an override vote on House Bill 318, called for stricter immigration limits and said not all cultures are equal.
HB 318 will require sheriffs to hold undocumented people who have been arrested for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement time to detain them.
The House and Senate overrode Gov. Josh Stein’s veto last week. The only Democrat to vote in favor in either chamber was Cunningham, who gave House Republicans a supermajority.
“All cultures are not equal," Cunningham said last week on the House floor. "Some immigrants come and believe they can function in isolation, refusing to adapt. I suggest they must assimilate. Adapt to the culture they wish to live in.”
Charlotte resident Wendy Mateo-Pascual is one of many immigrants speaking out against Cunningham’s remarks. She posted an open letter on Facebook, saying Cunningham's comments were racist and xenophobic.
“We cannot allow people to continue creating division between the minority community,” Mateo-Pascual said. “The immigrant community in North Carolina, and I think around the country, has shown that we integrate and we are a force in the community."
HB 318 will take effect in October.
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