NC Senate Candidate Once Declared His Final Month as Gov. ‘International Migrant Month’

Former North Carolina Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate declared his final month in office in 2024 “International Migrant Month,” a gesture meant to celebrate the state’s growing migrant population. 

In the announcement, he credited migrants as a “driving force behind the growth and development of North Carolina,” praising them for “enriching our communities with a wealth of talent, skills, traditions, and perspectives that have made us stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive.” 

“International Migrant Month allows us to reflect on the different vulnerable people on the move, the strength and courage of those who have migrated, and the crucial need for global cooperation in creating inclusive policies that safeguard the rights and dignity of all migrants,” his proclamation continued. “We believe that our nation’s strength lies in its diversity, and we are committed to fostering an environment of unity, understanding, and cooperation among all residents, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or race.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim December, 2024, as “INTERNATIONAL MIGRANT MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

Let’s take a look at some crimes illegal immigrants have committed in Cooper’s state.

In 2024, Erick Hernandez-Mendez was convicted of murdering his wife, Christina Matos, in Raleigh, North Carolina, following a 2021 killing that prosecutors said occurred inside the couple’s home. Hernandez-Mendez told police he was an illegal immigrant and suggested he may have married Matos in an effort to obtain legal status.

NEW: Erick Hernandez-Mendez is testifying in his own murder trial today – he’s accused of killing his 20-year-old wife Christina Matos in 2021. During his testimony, defendant says it was a “sham” marriage to get him citizenship. @WNCN pic.twitter.com/6DnY3WoYQ2

— Deana Harley (@Deanaharleynews) March 11, 2024

That same year, Alder Marin Sotelo pled guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Wake County K9 Deputy Ned Byrd, who was shot and killed in 2022 while responding to multiple 911 calls in a Wake County neighborhood. ICE later confirmed Sotelo was in the country illegally, and court records show he had previously been stopped by state troopers while carrying a loaded handgun after admitting to crossing the border unlawfully.

Arturo Marin Sotelo, Alder Marin Sotelo’s brother, was also charged in connection with Deputy Byrd’s killing and later pled guilty to helping his brother flee following the murder. Arturo Marin Sotelo had previously been deported to Mexico after being encountered by Border Patrol agents near Naco, Arizona, in 2010, but later re-entered the United States illegally, according to federal authorities.

In a separate case, Anselmo Arroyo Gonzalez was charged in 2024 for his role in a straw purchasing scheme that supplied a firearm, which was later used in the February murder of 24-year-old Amari Goss in Raleigh. Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant who had been deported to Mexico in 2016, helped arrange the purchase of firearms through another individual, one of whom was ultimately used in the homicide. He later pleaded guilty to straw purchasing and aiding and abetting.

Cooper isn’t just a pro-illegal immigration Democrat; he has repeatedly demonstrated a more radical stance on the issue than even former President Joe Biden. 

While Biden may have shaped national immigration policy, Cooper actively vetoed measures in North Carolina that would have required local sheriffs to cooperate with ICE. His actions signaled a total willingness to block law enforcement efforts to uphold federal immigration laws, and that was under a pro-illegal immigrant president.

Cooper’s record shows that, on immigration enforcement, he has prioritized political ideology over public safety. He cannot become a U.S. Senator.

Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.

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