CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina sheriff says he’s ending his county’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
News outlets report that on his first day at work, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a news release Wednesday that deputies will stop performing immigration duties when the agreement ends. The program allowed sheriff’s deputies to perform immigration enforcement duties inside the jail with supervision from ICE.
McFadden also said ICE officials will need court-issued warrants or detainers to access the jail while he’s sheriff.
An ICE spokesman confirmed McFadden’s decision.
The 287(g) program has sent thousands of people into deportation proceedings since 2006. Ending it was a major part of McFadden’s election campaign. Former sheriff Irwin Carmichael defended his office’s participation in the program. McFadden defeated Carmichael in May’s Democratic primary.
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