NORTH CAROLINA -- As North Carolina state lawmakers in Raleigh look to force local sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, on Capitol Hill, one North Carolina senator is taking a different approach.

• Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, is taking aim at so-called sanctuary cities with new legislation that could leave local communities facing a financial hit if they do not cooperate with ICE.
• If local jurisdictions do not waive immunity from these sorts of civil cases, they could miss out on federal grants.
• Tillis’s bill is in its earliest stages on Capitol Hill -- it still needs to gain traction in the Senate.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, is taking aim at so-called sanctuary cities with new legislation that could leave local communities facing a financial hit if they do not cooperate with ICE.

Under his “Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act,” people impacted by sanctuary practices -- such as not complying with immigration detainers -- can take civil action. If local jurisdictions do not waive immunity from these sorts of civil cases, they could miss out on federal grants.

“All the local authorities say they’re releasing people who are not a threat to the community, so this should be a non-issue,” Tillis said. “All [the bill] is doing is providing a safety valve in those unfortunate instances where someone is harmed.”

The bill allows "any individual, spouse, or child who is a victim [of] a violent crime or felony" to sue, if the injury results from a local municipality not cooperating with an ICE detainer or other request from the Department of Homeland Security, according to a summary from Tillis's office.

Tillis likens it to a "victims' rights" issue.

The legislation comes as several newly-elected North Carolina sheriffs have severed cooperation between their offices and ICE. Rolling out his bill, Tillis named some of those communities directly, including Durham, Mecklenburg, and Wake Counties.

One sheriff, Mecklenburg’s Garry McFadden, has already fired back at Tillis and his bill. In a statement, McFadden said in part that, “Any attempt to force Sheriffs nationwide to detain individuals for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not only negatively impact public safety in Mecklenburg County, NC, it will significantly erode the authority of all duly elected Sheriffs.”

RELATED: Tillis Backs Bill Penalizing 'Sanctuary Cities'

The legislation is also facing opposition from El Pueblo, Inc., a Raleigh-based advocacy group for immigrants. Moises Serrano, the group's political director, says the bill interferes in efforts by local law enforcement to build trust with immigrant communities. 

“Cooperation with ICE is optional. Local counties and local sheriffs are within their full federal right to not comply with immigration authorities,” Serrano said. “This legislation is about specifically demonizing and spreading xenophobia about the immigrant community.”

Tillis’s bill is in its earliest stages on Capitol Hill -- it still needs to gain traction in the Senate. If it makes it to the House, it will likely face an uphill fight in that Democrat-led chamber.