Dem Senate Hopeful Vetoed ICE Cooperation, And These Migrant Criminals Took Advantage

Before launching his latest bid for Senate, Democrat Roy Cooper implemented policies as North Carolina’s governor that created a sanctuary state and shielded some bad hombres from federal immigration authorities.

As governor, Cooper vetoed a bill in 2022 that would’ve required local police to make an effort to determine the immigration status of inmates being held in their jails, and to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of their findings.

At the time, the Democratic politician said the proposed legislation was “only about scoring political points and using fear to divide North Carolinians.” He went on to claim it could hurt local law enforcement’s “ability to protect their counties.”

In 2019, Cooper vetoed a similar bill to force local police to hold detainees for ICE to pick them up in compliance with federal immigration detainers.

After Cooper’s vetoes, several illegal immigrant criminals were shielded from ICE.

Julio Cesar Xocop-Vicente (ICE)

Local authorities allowed Guatemalan national Julio Cesar Xocop-Vicente to walk free after he was convicted in 2023 for driving under the influence and without a license, and had a criminal record that includes a previous arrest for assault on a female, according to ICE.

Xocop-Vicente went on to kill 15-year-old Amber Paris after speeding through a stop sign in a Charlotte neighborhood on November 24, 2025, the agency said in January after finally catching up to the suspect who had been let go for a second time.

Cooper was not serving as governor when the Guatemalan man was released for the second time.

Claudy Ngoy (DHS)

Under Cooper’s leadership, Claudy Ngoy, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also had multiple releases despite having a rap sheet.

Authorities charged the illegal immigrant in August 2020 with second-degree trespass, intoxicated and disruptive, and resisting a public officer, but the charges were subsequently dropped, according to court records.

Ngoy was charged with trespassing in December 2020 and a misdemeanor probation violation.

He was then caught for allegedly trespassing again in July 2021, but the charge was dismissed.

In August 2021, Ngoy was charged with possession of a controlled substance on prison or jail premises, which was ultimately dismissed by the district attorney.

Ngoy turned up on local law enforcement’s radar again in April 2023 for alleged breaking and entering, larceny, and resisting a public officer, according to court records. The charges for larceny and resisting an officer were dismissed, while he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge for breaking and entering.

Still, he was released onto the streets again, according to court records.

In July 2024, Ngoy was charged with trespassing and sentenced to one day behind bars, according to court records.

Ngoy allegedly assaulted a woman and was hit with another trespassing charge in August 2024, for which he received a 35-day sentence, per court records.

Authorities hit Ngoy with an indictment for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in January 2025, after Cooper left office. He was released the next month and ICE was able to quickly nab him.

ICE issued a detainer with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in May 2019 for the arrest of Honduran national Luis Analberto Pineda-Anchecta after he was charged locally for domestic assault, according to The Charlotte Observer. Pineda-Anchecta, who was previously deported in 2006 after entering the country illegally, was released on bond.

Four days later, he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, wrapping a plastic rope around her neck and driving her to a fishing hole where he planned to kill her, The Charlotte Observer reported. During the incident, he allegedly told her “I love you and I’m going to kill you.”

Days later, Pineda-Anchecta was arrested after an hours-long standoff with local police, according to WBTV. ICE filed a detainer in the case, but the request was reportedly ignored by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

ICE tracked him down the next day and took him into custody while he was sitting in a vehicle that had a loaded firearm and ammunition inside, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Cooper’s Senate campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.