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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden met face to face Friday to discuss tensions over a new state law that requires sheriff’s offices to hold detainees for an additional 48 hours to allow ICE to take custody.
In February, Spectrum News 1 reported that McFadden had released a detainee without ICE’s knowledge, one in a string of disputed incidents that have fueled conflict between local and federal authorities.
McFadden and ICE officials say Friday’s meeting has helped clarify procedures.
From McFadden’s perspective, the conversation was productive.
In a statement, ICE agreed.
“ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations met with Sheriff McFadden and his staff today and engaged in a very productive meeting. We greatly value the opportunity to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to achieve our shared goals of safety and security of our communities and our officers,” the agency said.
During the hourlong meeting, McFadden presented ICE with a letter outlining plans for pickup, direct contacts and expectations for arrests — issues both sides say they’ve struggled to coordinate in the past.
The meeting was the result of a letter sent on behalf of the sheriff Oct. 1, asking ICE for clearer collaboration under the new state law, the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act, which requires sheriffs to hold detainees for an extra 48 hours beyond their scheduled release so ICE can take them into custody.
In recent months, McFadden has said ICE failed to respond to pickup requests, forcing his office to release detainees. ICE, however, has accused McFadden’s office of refusing to cooperate with detainer requests.
The two agencies agreed on points of contact for coordinating courthouse arrests and pickups.
“So we gave them a safe process and procedures,” McFadden said. “If they have to operate inside the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds, because they do have that jurisdiction to do that. We just want them to do it in a safe manner for both them and the general public.”
McFadden said both sides needed to “air out frustrations” and work toward a more transparent system.
“We have the facility that they will have to come to,” he said. “We have the facility they have to remove these people from. So we want to make that safe and secure and also without problems. And so today in having that discussion, hopefully they understand us and we understand their needs.”
The sheriff said there are no plans at this time for another meeting with ICE.
National pressure, local tension
The meeting comes amid growing pressure from the Trump administration to expand deportation operations and enlist local law enforcement agencies as partners. ICE has recently proposed loosening detention standards so more county jails can hold immigrants awaiting removal.
At the same time, Congress approved a funding package that includes billions for ICE to expand detention capacity and deportation efforts.
Across the country, sheriffs have become central players in the debate over cooperation with ICE. While immigration detainers are nonbinding requests under federal law, North Carolina’s new legislation now mandates local compliance for up to 48 hours. Supporters say the law prevents the release of potentially dangerous individuals, while critics say it blurs the line between local policing and federal enforcement.
In Mecklenburg County, McFadden has accused ICE of ignoring communication attempts and failing to pick up detainees, while ICE maintains that his office continues to disregard lawful detainer requests. The sheriff has argued that only detainers supported by a judge’s order are legally valid.
As state, local and federal agencies continue to navigate overlapping authority, Mecklenburg County remains at the center of the debate over immigration enforcement in North Carolina.
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Jordan Kudisch
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