It's no secret that former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is soft on crime. On his watch, 3,500 violent criminals were released from North Carolina prisons, and many of them went on to re-offend, including Decarlos Brown, Jr., who murdered Iryna Zarutska, and Tyrell Brace, who shot and killed 23-year-old Elante' Thompson.
Cooper also has a record of protecting illegal aliens and working to obstruct ICE in his state. In fact, seven years ago today, Cooper vetoed legislation requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE. This protected illegal aliens in North Carolina from deportation. At the time, Cooper said in a statement, "This legislation is simply about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina. As the former top law enforcement officer of our state, I know that current law allows the state to jail and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status. This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties."
That veto came after Cooper caved to a left-wing dark money group, Siembra NC. That group is now rallying behind Cooper's Senate bid, which tells you exactly what sort of legislation Cooper would support (or oppose) in Washington.
And it wasn't Cooper's only veto. He would go on to reject two more bills requiring local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. In July 2022, Cooper again vetoed legislation that would demand North Carolina sheriffs learn the immigration status of inmates and make an effort to hold those whom federal agents want to pick up. In 2024, Cooper also vetoed House Bill 10, which allocated $5 billion to the state's school voucher program because it required sheriffs to cooperate with ICE. Cooper, who sends his own children to private schools, called the voucher program the "biggest threat to public schools in decades."
Being soft on crime and refusing to cooperate with ICE is the biggest threat to the safety of North Carolinians in decades, too.
Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza were killed on January 16 of this year after the car they were riding in was hit by Juan Alvarado Aguilar, an illegal alien. In addition to being in the country illegally, Aguilar has a lengthy criminal rap sheet spanning almost 20 years, including repeated failures to appear and multiple charges that were dismissed while Cooper served as both Attorney General and later as governor. In 2020, Aguilar was charged with driving while impaired and failed to appear in 2022. While a warrant was issued, no enforcement action was taken.
Fletcher Harris was just 20 years old, and Skylar Provenza was 19. Roy Cooper's anti-ICE, pro-illegal immigration policies led directly to their deaths. But those are just two of the tragic, and preventable, stories happening in North Carolina.
Just months after his 2019 anti-ICE veto, convicted child sex offender Marvin Ramirez Torres, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was released back into the community despite his felony record. Angel Vargas Ventura, who has a criminal record dating back to 2002 when he was arrested on drug charges, was repeatedly cut loose from prison under Cooper's watch.
And now Cooper wants to take these dangerous, deadly policies to the Senate.
"For 40 years, radical leftist Roy Cooper fought to protect criminal illegals, including murderers and rapists, turning North Carolina into a sanctuary state," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
Help us hold these leftists accountable and expose their obstruction. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.