How Local Immigration Policies Shape Perceptions Among Latinos in North Carolina

North Carolina's Latino population is the fastest-growing in the state, and the communities they live in span urban centers, small towns, and rural counties. However, depending on the county, their experiences with local government, law enforcement, and safety can look dramatically different. That variation in the policy environment is a product of deliberate policy choices, and this descriptive study documents how these policies shape perceptions among Latinos throughout the Tar Heel state.

Using a survey of Latino residents across North Carolina, we examine how county-level immigration enforcement policies shape perceptions of government support, feelings of safety around police, and experiences of discrimination. We compare counties with 287(g) agreements, sanctuary policies, and counties with no formal policy in either direction. The findings suggest that when local governments signal that a resident is a potential enforcement target rather than a constituent deserving of protection, trust erodes.

The literature provides clear insights into the consequences of aggressive enforcement policies within communities. Local enforcement policies, implemented by counties and cities, influence trust in the police and create a chilling effect across many domains, e.g., seeking medical care services, school enrollment, and community engagement. It is important to note that these findings do not fall evenly across the Latino community. Immigrants feel the effects most sharply, including those who are fully authorized to live and work in this country. That matters because it suggests that local enforcement decisions affect anyone perceived as a target, regardless of their actual legal status.

What makes this moment particularly urgent is the direction of national and state policy. The current federal administration has prioritized expanded interior enforcement and has actively pressured localities to cooperate with ICE. North Carolina has moved in the same direction. Specifically, legislation passed in 2024 mandates that county sheriffs comply with ICE detainer requests, effectively eliminating the discretion some sheriffs had previously exercised. The policy variation that this research documents may soon narrow, and the evidence suggests it is narrowing toward aggressive enforcement, which is associated with lower trust and reduced civic participation.

While the study in this report is descriptive by design, the empirical evidence is consistent across a broad, geographically diverse sample of North Carolina's Latino communities. For local policymakers, the evidence in this report and a growing literature on this topic are worth careful consideration. Decisions about immigration enforcement are never purely administrative. They send signals about who belongs, who is protected, and whose relationship with the government is worth investing in.

Rubalcaba, J. and Caro, L. "How Local Immigration Policies Shape Perceptions Among Latinos in North Carolina." The Minority Report