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Tag: 287(g)

  • Durham, Wake sheriffs urge calm amid Border Patrol presence in Charlotte

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    Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead in an undated photo. Birkhead and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe are urging NC residents to remain calm if they encounter Border Patrol agents.

    Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead in an undated photo. Birkhead and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe are urging NC residents to remain calm if they encounter Border Patrol agents.

    As U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive in Charlotte, Wake and Durham sheriffs released statements Friday to address concerns about potential immigration enforcement activities in their counties.

    Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said his office had not received “any official notification from U.S. Customs and Border Protection” of any operation or activity. Rowe urged residents not to confront Border Patrol agents if they were to come to Wake County and allow them to carry out official duties.

    “The safety and well-being of our community remains the primary concern of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and we strive to avoid circumstances that may lead to injuries or unnecessary arrests,” Rowe wrote.

    Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead also said his office was not aware of any planned or ongoing Border Patrol operations but noted that “we are also not informed prior to any such CBP or ICE operations being initiated in local jurisdictions.”

    “My message to you has not changed — Do Not Panic!” Birkhead wrote. “Keep your eyes open. Know your rights.”

    Federal officers were spotted in Charlotte Saturday morning, The Charlotte Observer reported. It is unclear why the federal government chose Charlotte or how long it plans to have agents in the Queen City, though CBS News reported the operation may last a week.

    Local and state leaders blasted the move Friday, criticizing the lack of transparency — local leaders said they had not been briefed on the operation — and emphasizing that Charlotte did not need Border Patrol to carry out immigration enforcement, The Charlotte Observer reported.

    In his statement, Birkhead reiterated that Durham County does not participate in neither the 287(g) program — which allows local officers to perform immigration enforcement under the oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — nor “any CBP or ICE ‘roundup’ operations.” Wake County has not participated in the 287(g) program since 2018.

    Birkhead said he had met regularly with Hispanic residents to address their concerns and questions and would continue to stay alert to any changes in immigration enforcement.

    “My job is to keep this community safe,” Birkhead wrote. “The many relationships we have across Durham County allow us to do just that.”

    Related Stories from Raleigh News & Observer

    Twumasi Duah-Mensah

    The News & Observer

    Twumasi Duah-Mensah is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer. He began at The N&O as a summer intern on the metro desk. Born and raised in the Triangle, Duah-Mensah has previously interned for WUNC and NC Health News. Send him tips and good tea places at (919) 283-1187.

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    Twumasi Duah-Mensah

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  • Debate over immigration enforcement program heats up in Maryland – WTOP News

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    In a social media post, Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson said he’ll back the effort to bar the 287g agreements that allow local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security on immigration enforcement.

    Opponents of 287(g) agreements that allow police, sheriff’s departments and jails to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security on immigration enforcement announced they’ll once again fight to pass legislation to ban the agreements statewide.

    Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said he’ll join that effort.

    Ferguson said in a social media post he was alarmed by what he called the “lawlessness” of ICE enforcement actions. The Baltimore Banner reported that Ferguson will be making the issue a priority heading into the 2026 General Assembly session in Annapolis in January.

    A similar measure introduced in the last legislative session in Annapolis failed.

    Maryland State Del. Nicole Williams, whose district includes neighborhoods in Prince George’s County that have hundreds of immigrants from South and Central America as well as Haiti, Nigeria and Cameroon, attended a rally in Baltimore announcing the plans to ban the agreements.

    “We have not seen any data that has actually shown that having these agreements in place actually enhance law enforcement,” she told WTOP.

    Instead, Williams said, the agreements generate fear in immigrant communities, making them less likely to step forward and report crimes when they do occur.

    “What we want to do is foster, really, a community where people feel comfortable engaging with law enforcement,” she said. “Our law enforcement officers have been able to capture some of the worst of the worst of these individuals without these agreements.”

    Eight Maryland jurisdictions have 287(g) agreements in place, including Frederick, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, Garrett, Harford, Cecil and St. Mary’s counties.

    Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins is a staunch supporter of the program, which he said has been in place in Frederick County since 2008.

    “Frederick County is much safer because of the program,” Jenkins said. “Senate President Bill Ferguson is wrong on this issue. Every Democrat in the legislature is wrong on this issue. They need to leave the counties alone that wish to implement the program to allow sheriffs to keep their counties safe.”

    Jenkins said he would oppose any legislation designed to do away with the program.

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