Sen. Mohammed files bill in North Carolina Senate on immigration enforcement and legal services

A new bill filed by State Sen. Mujtaba A. Mohammed seeks to restrict immigration enforcement and expand legal service support for affected individuals in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 917 on April 29 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘MELT Act: Support Immigrant Legal Defense.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill repeals Session Law 2025-85, restricts immigration enforcement in North Carolina to actions based on a judicial warrant, and bars state and local agencies from holding people past their release date solely on federal immigration detainers or administrative warrants. It clarifies that administrative immigration documents do not qualify as judicial warrants, limits state and local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in civil immigration matters, and allows affected individuals to seek court relief and exclude improperly obtained evidence. The bill appropriates $4 million in one-time funds for community-based immigration legal services and related support, and takes effect July 1, 2026.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Sophia Chitlik proposed the most bills (62) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Mohammed graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2008 with a BA and again in 2013 from North Carolina Central University School of Law with a JD.

Mohammed, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2019 to represent the state’s 38th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Joel Ford.