Charlotte Democrat’s immigration rhetoric is disappointing, divisive and un-American | Opinion
“All cultures are not equal.”
Those are the words that Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, said before breaking with her party to support an immigration enforcement bill on Tuesday.
Cunningham was the lone Democrat to help Republicans overturn the veto of House Bill 318 in a series of veto overrides. Her vote was not a surprise, given that she supported the bill when it originally passed the House in June. It was her comments before the vote that were more shocking.
“Some immigrants come and believe they can function in isolation, refusing to adapt,” she continued. “They have come to our country for many reasons, but I suggest they must assimilate, adapt to the culture of the country they wish to live in. No country is going to allow people to come in and not acknowledge its constitution, legal systems and laws. They will not tolerate it.”
Cunningham also said that she believed immigration today is “destabilizing our communities” and “a large number of people entering a country can change it forever.”
To say that some cultures aren’t equal to others is dangerous and divisive rhetoric. Which cultures, exactly, are the “good” ones? And should we just close our borders to the others? It suggests to people that their neighbors might be a threat because they come from a culture that is supposedly inferior. It treats our differences as a liability rather than an asset. And, worst of all, it seems to betray a most sacred American ideal: that every human being is created equal and should be treated as such, no matter where they come from.
House Bill 318 would force local law enforcement to cooperate more with federal immigration authorities, and require sheriffs to hold detainees for 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, which some say is unconstitutional. It also expands the list of charges for which sheriffs would be required to determine the immigration status of an offender. The list now includes all felonies, serious misdemeanors and drunk driving. Previously, it was limited to just high-level violent crimes.
Everyone wants to live in safe communities. Everyone wants to reduce crime. But suggesting that immigrants make us less safe is wrong. It’s fearmongering. It’s scapegoating. Studies have found that undocumented immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes than people who are born in the U.S., and they are less likely to be incarcerated. Research has shown that no correlation exists between undocumented people and a rise in crime.
America does have issues with immigration and border security, and those issues do need to be solved. But illegal migration into this country is as much a product of our broken immigration system as it is a symptom of it. There is nothing inherently wrong with immigration, or with immigrants themselves. They are, after all, part of the fabric of this country’s story. And to suggest otherwise, instead of proposing constructive solutions, isn’t what any lawmaker should be doing.
To be clear, it’s not necessarily Cunningham’s vote that is the problem. It’s her justification for doing so. Perhaps Cunningham truly believes that there needs to be stronger cooperation between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. That’s her prerogative. But her speech Tuesday wasn’t just about that. It was about something much more.
“If you ask me to line up behind another group of people to raise awareness about their plight, I unapologetically say no,” Cunningham said Tuesday.
That’s an incredibly disappointing position from an elected official whose job is to stand up for people.
In an interview with WFAE, Cunningham said that people should understand that Democrats “aren’t monolithic in our thoughts.” She’s right about that: no lawmaker, Democrat or Republican, has an obligation to vote with their party 100% of the time, especially if it’s not the right thing for their constituents. But most Democrats, including Cunningham, frame themselves as champions for the most vulnerable — including the immigrant communities who will be directly harmed by the bill that became law this week. That’s not a question of party loyalty. It’s just a question of values.
Paige Masten is an opinion editor and writer for McClatchy and the Charlotte Observer.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 7:12 AM.
