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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A seven-term North Carolina Democratic state representative was decisively defeated in her party’s primary Tuesday, after voting in support of legislation expanding cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Carla Cunningham, the Democratic representative for the 106th North Carolina House District since 2013, won 22 percent of the vote compared with challenger Reverend Rodney Sadler, who won 70 percent, according to The Associated Press.
Newsweek has contacted Cunningham via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
In July, Cunningham broke with her party to support a Republican-backed bill that would increase cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE. Her single Democratic vote overrode Governor Josh Stein’s veto of the bill by giving it the required three-fifths majority.
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What To Know
"All cultures are not equal. Some immigrants come and believe they can function in isolation," Cunningham said on the floor at the time of the vote. "I suggest they must assimilate. Adapt to the country they want to live in."
The legislation requires county sheriffs to verify the citizenship of inmates and hold individuals for longer periods at ICE’s request.
Cunningham’s vote was the only Democratic yes in the House and was decisive in overriding Stein’s veto by a single vote. Afterward, her comments on the House floor about cultural assimilation drew criticism from fellow Democrats. In the wake of the vote, Stein endorsed Sadler, and the North Carolina Democratic Party withheld certain voter data tools from Cunningham’s campaign.
Sadler, a pastor and political newcomer, said Cunningham’s positions on immigration did not align with the views of many Democratic voters.
“At the end of the day, she didn’t sound any better than some of these ultra-conservative people who were demeaning Black and Brown folk on a regular basis,” Sadler told Bolts Mag. “It felt like a betrayal of the utmost.”
“It drove me to a point of saying, ‘She needs to go, and she needs to go now," he added.
The district that Cunningham lost covers portions of Charlotte, a city that was a focal point of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
In mid‑November 2025, federal agents, from ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of Homeland Security, carried out a major enforcement operation in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
The operation involved hundreds of arrests of people suspected of immigration violations. On January 30, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Newsweek that since November 14, 2025, ICE and CBP had arrested more than 700 undocumented immigrants in the Charlotte area.
The sweep was part of an aggressive immigration enforcement push under the Trump administration, targeting Democrat-run cities with sanctuary policies.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said CBP withdrew in late November, but noted that ICE continues routine immigration enforcement in the county and that local law enforcement would not participate in federal immigration arrests.
What People Are Saying
Reverend Rodney Sadler wrote in a post on X: "Tonight marks a turning point in NC. Voters in HD106 chose a future where working families thrive. For 15 years, extremists in Raleigh froze wages at $7.25, slashed taxes, and empowered Duke Energy. Tonight, North Charlotte said: enough is enough."
North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton wrote in a post on X: "We look forward to having someone in Raleigh who truly represents the people."
This is a developing story; updates to follow.
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