NC House votes to override governor’s veto on immigration, DEI bills

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina House voted Wednesday to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of an immigration bill, allowing it to become law.

Senate Bill 153 requires all state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also bars undocumented immigrants from receiving certain state-funded public health benefits, including Medicaid, housing assistance and child care subsidies. Additionally, the bill prohibits UNC institutions from becoming sanctuary institutions.

The North Carolina Senate initially voted to override Stein’s veto in July 2025.

Gov. Stein released a statement Wednesday in reaction to the vote.

“As the legislature leaves teachers and law enforcement officers waiting for hard-earned and desperately needed pay raises, members of the General Assembly are stoking the culture wars that divide us rather than fulfilling their long-overdue responsibility of passing a budget,” he wrote. “It’s time for them to do their jobs for the people of North Carolina. Instead, they are overriding my veto on bills to whitewash the diversity that makes our state strong and to take state law enforcement officers away from their existing state duties, forcing them to act as federal immigration agents.”

In addition to Senate Bill 153, the House also voted to override vetoes on Senate Bill 558, Senate Bill 227 and House Bill 171, which call for the elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) concepts and policies in public schools, universities and state agencies.

Channel 9 reached out to the NCGOP for a statement on Wednesday’s vote. A spokesperson responded with the following:

“Gov. Stein believes in state-mandated discrimination and ignores the scourge of illegal immigration in our communities, infamously saying sanctuary cities aren’t real,” the spokesperson said. “The Republican Family First Agenda strengthens public safety and roots out woke ideology in education. The difference is clear: Republicans have made North Carolina the best state to live, work, and retire while Democrats want to make life harder for working families.”

With Wednesday’s House vote, these bills can now become law.

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