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(9/12/2025) The NC Justice Center and ACLU of NC have jointly released a new form* for attorney advocates, and others who serve immigrant communities, to report potential civil rights violations of clients and communities who face increasing political attacks.

In collaboration with the ACLU of North Carolina, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the civil rights of immigrants, particularly as they face increasing threats across the state. As part of this ongoing work, we have launched a dedicated Immigrant Civil Rights Assistance Request Form for advocates and organizational partners to raise concerns, request guidance, or seek support on civil rights issues affecting immigrant communities in North Carolina.

* Please note: This form is intended exclusively for advocates and organizational partners who are supporting directly impacted immigrants in North Carolina. It is not designed for individuals seeking immigration legal representation or for general inquiries. While we understand that the visibility of this form may prompt broader interest, we kindly ask that only advocates use it to report civil rights concerns or request assistance on behalf of others. This helps ensure timely and appropriate follow-up by our team and prevents delays for those the form is intended to support. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us use this tool effectively to protect the rights of immigrant communities.

In North Carolina, a driver’s license is automatically suspended for traffic debt that is not paid or resolved by a set deadline or for missing a court date. More than 1.2 million drivers in North Carolina have suspended driver’s licenses for unpaid traffic fines and fees or missing a court date. Approximately 95 percent of North Carolinians drive to work. Therefore, not having a driver’s license can create barriers to obtaining and maintaining meaningful employment. It can also make it hard to obtain affordable housing, attend doctor’s appointments, or care for family members. Low-income families and families of color are disproportionately affected by driver’s license suspensions based on traffic debt.

Where people begin in life should not determine where they end up. When we trap already under-resourced people in further debt, it undermines their ability to advance socially and economically over the course of their lifetimes.

Sign this petition to show your support for ending debt-based driver’s license suspension in North Carolina!

Congress is threatening to cut programs that are essential to people in North Carolina, and Medicaid is one of the programs potentially on the chopping block. Millions of North Carolinians are on Medicaid—including over 1 million children, seniors, pregnant people, and people with disabilities, alongside 615,000 of our friends and neighbors who have received health coverage through Medicaid expansion. However, the NC Justice Center is committed to fighting back.

You can help by calling your Congress members and telling them to keep their hands off Medicaid. We have developed a detailed, step-by-step toolkit and phone script with talking points you can use to make your calls.

No one should go hungry or be denied basic support while trying to rebuild their lives after incarceration. However, North Carolina continues to impose a lifetime ban on food (SNAP) and cash assistance (TANF) for individuals convicted of Class G or higher drug felonies. Even those convicted of Class H or I drug felonies must wait at least six months and meet special requirements before becoming eligible.

This outdated policy exacerbates food insecurity, disproportionately harms women and children, and creates unnecessary barriers to successful reentry. North Carolina should ensure access to food and cash assistance for people reentering society from our criminal legal system.

Mugshots, once a routine aspect of law enforcement, have now become a tool for exploitation and injustice. These images, meant to serve a specific purpose, are being misused by unscrupulous companies for financial gain at the expense of people’s reputations and livelihoods. We believe it’s time to put an end to this practice and ensure a fair and just approach to the dissemination of booking photos.

We are proud to support North Carolina House Bill 129 and Senate Bill 446, which are steps towards safeguarding the rights and dignity of individuals who have faced the criminal justice system. These bills seek to regulate the dissemination of booking photos, ensuring that private companies cannot exploit sensitive information for financial gain.