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A city in North Carolina has taken steps to designate itself as a “Fourth Amendment Workplace,” enhancing protections for undocumented workers from actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Durham City Council voted unanimously to pass this measure, aiming to protect city employees from federal raids and arrests, as reported by The Duke Chronicle.
The Fourth Amendment safeguards individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring warrants based on probable cause before any legal action can be taken against a person or property.
The approved resolution directs city officials to “enforce the Fourth Amendment within their work environments and municipal agencies, and to inform the Council of any obstacles encountered in implementing comprehensive training on the Fourth Amendment for all departments,” according to The Chronicle.
The decision to declare the city a “Fourth Amendment Workplace” reflects a commitment to enhance protections for immigrant workers from ICE interventions.
“This initiative poses a serious risk to the safety and dignity of our communities. The courthouse should remain a venue for seeking justice, not a place to be targeted by federal authorities,” stated Durham County Board of Commissioners Chair Nida Allam, who took part in the protest.
At the council meeting for the resolution, several migrants and their families spoke in favor of its passage, expressing their anxieties in day-to-day life, according to The Chronicle. Other residents also pushed for added protections for illegal immigrants and training for city staff to enforce the new measure.
“Durham celebrates a rich diversity of residents, and we understand that the Trump administration’s mass deportation targets a completely manufactured panic surrounding immigrants, puts anyone who does not appear white, anyone who does not speak English or has an accent, anyone regardless of papers or immigration status, at risk of abuse, abduction and even deportation to [a] country they have no ties to,” Elise Ballan, chair of the Durham Workers’ Rights Commission, said at the meeting.
Durham joins Carrboro, which became the first North Carolina town to adopt a Fourth Amendment Workplace resolution in May.
In February, ICE arrested 11 people in Durham who were in the U.S. illegally, according to federal officials. Some Durham residents reported being concerned about the safety of their family members after the arrests.
The resolution emphasizes that the threat of “unconstitutional seizure” has prevented migrants in the city from “safely engaging in public life.” (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The federal government accused Durham in April of being a so-called “sanctuary” community for allegedly failing to cooperate with immigration officials.
Local officials have since said the “sanctuary” label had “no legal or factual basis,” according to The Chronicle.
Last year, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Democrat Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill that forces sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
Mayor Pro Tempore Mark Anthony Middleton said at a candidate forum earlier this week that he would never back collaboration between Durham police and ICE, The Chronicle reported.
