NC Gov. Josh Stein wants ‘basic accountability’ for ICE, Border Patrol
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stein called for ICE and Border Patrol to wear body cams and display names on uniforms.
- Gov. Josh Stein toured NCDOT facility in Raleigh and thanked crews for storm response.
- Stein framed ICE accountability measures as basic law enforcement practices
Good morning and welcome to our Under the Dome newsletter focusing on the governor. I’m Capitol bureau chief Dawn Vaughan. I hope you’re safe and out of the cold as North Carolina is dealing with the second weekend in a row of a winter storm.
That means Gov. Josh Stein has been talking a lot about the weather — particularly how the state has responded to ice and snow. He visited an N.C. Department of Transportation facility off Westgate Road in Raleigh on Thursday to thank NCDOT employees for the long hours they’ve been working. DOT is a Cabinet agency within Stein’s administration.
He’s also weighing in on a fight at the federal level.
Stein, a Democrat, is calling for “basic accountability” for U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate held up Homeland Security funding over the ICE and Border Patrol actions in Minnesota, including shooting and killing two people. Then they struck a bipartisan deal that makes the funding temporary while lawmakers consider restrictions on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
“There is absolutely no reason why you cannot have basic accountability for Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol. They can wear body cams. They can have their name on their uniform. They do not have to wear masks,” Stein said.
“They can have relationships with state and local (governments) where they’re informing them of what their actions are. These things are basic measures of accountability and good law enforcement,” he said.
Stein served two terms as the state attorney general before being elected governor.
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Be sure to listen to our Under the Dome podcast, with new episodes posting Tuesdays.
Thanks for reading.
Reach me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com or the entire politics team at dome@newsobserver.com.
This story was originally published February 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
