Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told WFAE that the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office is not under threat of investigation or prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice, because it abides by federal and state immigration enforcement policies.
The DOJ released a memo last week, calling for the investigation of state and local law enforcement officials who do not enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. The DOJ’s memo said local officials who obstruct immigration policies could face prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In a statement to WFAE, McFadden said his office is already cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement through House Bill 10. The state law passed last year requires all sheriffs to comply with ICE’s voluntary detention requests and to notify ICE if an undocumented person is detained.
“The DOJ’s memo threatening legal action against local law enforcement officials who refuse to comply with immigration authorities is not a major concern,” McFadden said. “Charlotte is not being targeted and we are already following the law.”
McFadden said this memo is directed to sanctuary cities, and no sanctuary cities exist in North Carolina.
McFadden campaigned in 2018 to end the sheriff's office’s participation in 287(g), a voluntary federal program that sheriff’s offices opt into, identifying undocumented prisoners and holding them for deportation.
Despite his earlier opposition, McFadden now said the sheriff’s office already collaborated with ICE under a North Carolina law that mandates county jails to inform the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when an undocumented individual is arrested.
