Immigrants' Rights

When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one vulnerable group, everyone’s rights are at risk.

A photo collage featuring a group of protesters, a mother hugging her son, and the Statue of Liberty.

Immigrants' Rights in North Carolina

287g Agreements in North Carolina

  • A 287(g) agreement gives local law enforcement the power to enforce federal immigration law—something they normally cannot do. These agreements turn local officers into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, fueling deportations, racial profiling, and fear in immigrant communities.

Faces of North Carolina

  • The Faces of North Carolina is a video series campaign dedicated to highlighting the stories of immigrants and their families living across our state. At a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric is growing, this campaign seeks to humanize the individuals behind these harmful narratives and demonstrate the vital role immigrants play in the prosperity of North Carolina.

We Have Rights

  • An empowerment campaign to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Information for Immigrant Driver's License Applicants

  • The NCDMV issued a Declaratory Ruling in March 2023 addressing some of the issues immigrants have experienced obtaining full-term, eight-year driver’s licenses and putting new rules in place for immigrants applying for driver’s licenses in North Carolina.

The Latest


News & Commentary
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ACLU-NC Condemns ICE's Secretive Deal to Reopen Private Prison for Immigration Detention

ACLU-NC condemns ICE's contract to reopen the GEO Group-owned Rivers Facility in Winton, calls for transparency and accountability.
Press Release
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ACLU-NC Files Damages Claims Against the Federal Government on Behalf of North Carolinians Harmed by Immigration Agents

Claims filed across 17 states and Washington, D.C. under the Federal Tort Claims Act seek justice for citizens and noncitizens alike harmed by federal immigration agents and accountability for the federal administration’s violent and lawless agenda
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Press Release
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ACLU-NC, NC Justice Center Urge Counties to Comply with Limits on Immigration Detention Amid Reports of Over-Detentions

Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Press Release
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ICE Plans to Open Detention Center in NC by End of 2026

Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

Cases, Campaigns & Legislation


Court Case
Mar 3, 2026

Aceituno Damages Claim

Court Case
Feb 25, 2026

Aceituno v. USDHS

Court Case
May 23, 2023

FLOC v. Stein

North Carolina farmworkers and a coalition of civil rights groups are challenging a state law that guts the ability of farmworkers to organize and make collective bargaining agreements with employers.
Court Case
Apr 12, 2017

Public Records on President Trump's Muslim Bans

ACLU affiliates across the country filed 13 separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits demanding government documents about the on-the-ground implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans.