With the U.S. Congress, as well as the Bush administration, having failed to pass an immigration reform bill in 2007, many states took it upon themselves to pass legislation regarding illegal immigration. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than 1,000 bills and resolutions related to illegal immigration have been introduced in all 50 state legislatures this year. As of April 2007, 18 states had enacted 57 different pieces of legislation. Here in North Carolina, the General Assembly managed to pass – only at the last minute – one bill directly related to illegal immigration. The budget also included $750,000 to essentially fund an expansion of the 287(g) program. In spite of strong popular support for illegal immigration reform, numerous attempts at reform died in committee. In the Senate, Robert Pittenger (R-Mecklenburg) was a chief sponsor of many of these measures while George Cleveland (R-Onslow) led the way in the House. It is worth noting that some of the bills below, such as HB 1485, not only seek to reduce illegal immigration, but also provide protections for legal immigrants.
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