Durham City Council voted last week to become a “Fourth Amendment Workplace,” shielding municipal employees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The North Carolina city’s resolution, reported by The Chronicle, says it has “historically pursued equity and safety for all residents,” but the threat of unconstitutional seizure” has prevented immigrants in Durham from “safely engaging in public life, including pursuing employment and education.” The resolution directs city staff to “uphold the 4th amendment at their workplace and city agencies and report back to Council any barriers to effective training on the 4th Amendment for any departments,
Durham is the second city to pass a Fourth Amendment Resolution, with Carrboro, North Carolina, being the first to do so in May.
The Department of Homeland Security designated Durham a “sanctuary county” earlier this year, although officials pushed back on the claim.
“We are asking DHS to provide the reason for this designation,” Durham County Attorney Larissa Williamson said in May. “There is no legal or factual basis for it, and we aim to defend the County’s reputation and financial integrity.”
According to Durham County, the area has neither “adopted any ordinance, resolution, policy, or proclamation declaring itself a ‘sanctuary jurisdiction,'” nor has it engaged in practices that “would impede cooperation with immigration enforcement or limit compliance with detainer requests.”
In July, ICE agents appeared at the Durham County Courthouse to detain an undocumented migrant charged with a felony.
“Our residents witnessed ICE agents in our community, instilling widespread fear and uncertainty,” Mayor of Durham Leo Williams said at the time. “While local leaders cannot legally override the federal government’s use and weaponization of ICE, we can and must stand in strategic solidarity with our neighbors.”
