Michael Whatley campaigned on border security in North Carolina this week, holding a roundtable discussion in Raleigh on August 27 and a press conference in Pitt County on August 28 as the Republican Senate nominee makes immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his challenge to Democratic former Governor Roy Cooper.
At the Ayden Golf and Country Club event Friday, Whatley spoke alongside women who had lost family members to crimes committed by immigrants, framing border security as essential to public safety. He pledged to support border patrol agents with funding and legislation if elected, telling Paul Perez, president of a national Border Patrol union that has endorsed him: “I am going to support you. I’m going to fight for you. And I’m going to make sure that we have the laws in place. And you have the funding in place.”
Whatley’s emphasis on immigration reflects a broader Republican strategy in 2026. According to reporting from July, a majority of Republican campaign ads include keywords such as “securing the border” and discuss border wall funding and crime. Immigration has emerged as a second-tier issue for voters in North Carolina, according to a Carolina Journal poll from August, behind only taxes and inflation.
The contrast between Whatley and Cooper on immigration has grown sharper as the November election approaches. Both candidates agree that immigrants accused of violent crimes should be deported, but they diverge sharply on enforcement methods and the scope of deportations. Whatley backs Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and has said he would support whatever Trump wants on immigration policy, according to WRAL reporting from August 28. Cooper, meanwhile, has emphasized accountability for immigration agents, writing on social media that federal agents have killed and detained American citizens, including people with no criminal records.
Cooper has pointed to his record as attorney general as evidence he is tough on drug trafficking and willing to deport violent criminals. As governor, he vetoed three bills that would have required local sheriffs to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the bills were unconstitutional and would have exposed sheriffs to lawsuits. Whatley has criticized those vetoes, suggesting they allowed immigrants arrested on charges to bond out and flee the country.
The polling landscape shows Cooper maintaining a lead in the race. An Elon University poll from August 12 found Cooper holding an 11-point advantage over Whatley among likely voters, and a Carolina Journal poll from August 13 showed him leading 52 percent to 39 percent. However, Whatley’s name recognition among voters has been rising, according to PBS reporting from August 14.
Federal immigration officials arrested 50,000 people on immigration charges in July, the highest total so far in President Trump’s second term, according to WRAL. The Trump administration has spent an extra $170 billion approved by Congress last year to hire more immigration agents and implement border security measures, though it remains unclear how many of those arrested have been deported. Many arrested have no criminal record, and critics argue the approach focuses too heavily on targeting people who have lived peacefully in the U.S. for years despite lacking legal status.
Sources
- WRAL — detailed reporting on Whatley and Cooper’s competing immigration positions, August 28, 2026
- C-SPAN — coverage of Whatley’s border security roundtable in Raleigh, August 27, 2026
- WITN / Facebook — reporting on Whatley’s Pitt County border security press conference, August 28-29, 2026
- Carolina Journal — polling data on Cooper’s lead and immigration as a top issue, August 13, 2026
- Elon University — poll showing Cooper’s 11-point lead, August 12, 2026
- KOSU / NPR — reporting on Republican campaign strategy and border security messaging, July 17, 2026
- PBS — analysis of the North Carolina Senate race and Whatley’s rising name recognition, August 14, 2026
