Two Forsyth County mothers whose husbands were detained by ICE are speaking out against the detentions as new Republican-backed immigration bills move forward in North Carolina.
Cynthia Bautista and Sindy Lopez shared their struggles at a press conference in Raleigh, organized by Siembra NC. Both women said they are facing financial and emotional hardship due to the absence of their husbands, who have no criminal records and have reported poor conditions in ICE detention centers.
Bautista’s husband, Juan Rosa Meza, was detained in Florida after a traffic stop while returning from hurricane repair work. He is currently held in the Krome Detention Center in South Florida. Lopez’s husband, Jasua Sierra Carranza, was detained in South Carolina for a minor traffic violation and is being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.
Advocacy groups are concerned about Senate Bill 153, which would ease deportations of people charged with crimes. The bill requires state agencies to cooperate with ICE and has passed the state Senate. Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, warned that the bill could destroy families and harm the workforce.
Rep. Destin Hall, who introduced House Bill 318, defended the bills, saying they would help address issues like illegal immigration and housing shortages.
As debates continue, families like Bautista’s and Lopez’s are left facing uncertainty and hardship.
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