Immigration

Hundreds of county jails in the U.S. are paid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain immigrants facing removal proceedings.

Federal prosecutors have charged a man with kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in North Carolina while out on bond on an assault charge.

Luis Analberto Pineda-Anchecta, 37, is expected in court Friday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

In a quiet Charlotte cul-de-sac, two boys kicked a soccer ball as their father tended to the tiny scraped knee of a third. “You’re strong,” Zia “Booyah” Ghafoori said, scooping up his youngest son.

The owner of a small, private Charlotte school was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday for her part in a scheme that falsely enrolled foreign teens who were sought by basketball recruiters and coaches.

In a continuation of his fight against Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis today announced new legislation that he said would make it easier for local enforcement to honor detainer requests from the federal government.

Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, criticized Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden Wednesday in Charlotte for his refusal to honor jail detainers from the federal government.

Immigrant communities across the U.S. were on edge Sunday as federal immigration raids were reportedly planned in several major cities. As of late Sunday morning, immigrant advocacy group Comunidad Colectiva had not reported any raids in Charlotte. 

On Monday night, President Trump tweeted that  Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will begin removing “millions” of people next week who are in the country illegally.

Some North Carolina sheriffs, including Mecklenburg County’s, are opposing HB 370, a bill that would require them to cooperate more with federal immigration agents. The proposed legislation would also double the time to 96 hours that those arrested for other crimes and suspected of being in the country illegally, can be held in jail. Noncompliance could result in a sheriff being removed from office.

City officials are drawing up recommendations for improved language services aimed at the city's immigrant communities. Those include a so-called "language-access plan," to make sure city services and written materials are available in the many languages spoken across the city. 

The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association says it opposes a bill that would compel sheriffs around the state to honor ICE detainers.