Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper used his final month in office to proclaim December 2024 “International Migrant Month,” praising migrants as vital contributors while critics point to violent crimes committed by people in the country illegally and question his record on immigration enforcement.
As governor, he called migrants a “driving force behind the growth and development of North Carolina” and said they “enrich[ ] our communities with a wealth of talent, skills, traditions, and perspectives that have made us stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive.” The proclamation framed diversity as a strength and urged unity among residents regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or race.
The official proclamation went further, saying the month gives people a chance to “reflect on the different vulnerable people on the move, the strength and courage of those who have migrated, and the crucial need for global cooperation in creating inclusive policies that safeguard the rights and dignity of all migrants.” Those words appear in the governor’s document and were presented as part of the state’s observance of the month.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim December, 2024, as “INTERNATIONAL MIGRANT MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
That same proclamation prompted sharp pushback from conservatives who pointed to several high-profile crimes by people the state says were in the country illegally. In Raleigh, Erick Hernandez-Mendez was convicted in 2024 of murdering his wife, Christina Matos, for an attack prosecutors say happened inside the couple’s home. During the investigation, Hernandez-Mendez told police he was an illegal immigrant and suggested his marriage may have been linked to obtaining legal status.
Another serious case involved the killing of Wake County K9 Deputy Ned Byrd in 2022. Alder Marin Sotelo pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in that case, and officials later confirmed he was in the country illegally. Court records show Sotelo had been stopped by state troopers carrying a loaded handgun after admitting to crossing the border unlawfully, and prosecutors say his brother, Arturo Marin Sotelo, was charged with helping him flee after the killing.
Federal authorities say Arturo Marin Sotelo had previously been deported to Mexico after being encountered by Border Patrol agents in 2010, only to later re-enter the United States without authorization. Those repeated encounters with law enforcement and immigration agencies are central to arguments that current policies fail to prevent dangerous people from staying or returning to the country.
Law enforcement also tied an illegal reentry to a guns-for-hire scheme that ended in murder. Anselmo Arroyo Gonzalez was charged in 2024 for arranging straw purchases of firearms, one of which was used in the February killing of 24-year-old Amari Goss in Raleigh. Gonzalez had been deported in 2016 and later implicated in a network of illegal firearm transfers that prosecutors say helped arm violent suspects.
Those cases are being used by critics to underline what they call the human cost of lax immigration enforcement. They argue that proclaiming a celebratory month without addressing enforcement gaps sends the wrong message to victims and local law enforcement who face the consequences of violent crime.
On policy, Cooper’s record drew fire for blocking state-level cooperation with federal immigration authorities. He vetoed measures that would have required some local sheriffs to coordinate with ICE, a move Republican critics describe as prioritizing political ideology over the safety of North Carolinians. That refusal to support partnerships with federal enforcement drew particular attention from conservative law-and-order voices.
Republican commentators say those vetoes show a willingness to put politics ahead of public safety, especially given the federal role in immigration enforcement. They argue that a Senate seat requires a record that defends the rule of law and supports officers who enforce it, and they believe Cooper’s actions as governor undermine his suitability for higher office.
Beyond the politics, families of victims and local law enforcement officials have pushed for clearer policies that both recognize the contributions of lawful newcomers and prevent violent offenders from remaining in or re-entering the country. That tension between compassionate rhetoric and hard-edged enforcement remains the central dispute in debates over how to handle immigration at every level of government.
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.
