North Carolina Republicans Seek To Force Top Democrats To Fall In Line With Trump Agenda

North Carolina Republicans who are resolved to promote President Donald Trump's agenda now seek to compel the recently elected Democratic governor to aid the president's immigration crackdown and stop the new Democratic attorney general from fighting Trump in court.

The North Carolina Senate advanced measures this week amplifying recent GOP-backed laws eroding powers of Democratic executive branch officials.

Emboldened by Trump's 3-point victory in November - his third in battleground North Carolina - Republicans approved a bill Tuesday that would force some law enforcement agencies who report to Gov. Josh Stein to cooperate with federal immigration agents . That would include having the State Bureau of Investigation, Department of Public Safety and adult correction system officially participate in the 287g program, which trains officers to interrogate defendants and determine their immigration status.

Republican lawmakers in over a dozen states this year have filed legislation seeking to require or incentivize cooperative agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural .

The bill also would direct Stein's budget office to determine if immigrants in the country unlawfully are wrongly receiving state benefits.