Trump says he’ll cut money to ‘sanctuary’ cities. What Triangle sheriffs are saying
As state lawmakers consider a bill to require sheriffs to cooperate even more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Triangle sheriffs reject the notion they’re sanctuary jurisdictions.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will publish a list of states and local jurisdictions the federal government believes are “sanctuary jurisdictions” and will look to cut or suspend federal money to those areas.
Shortly after that announcement, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis shared a map on social media of “sanctuary jurisdictions,” including counties in the Triangle.
“In NC, several counties refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement and instead shield dangerous criminal illegals,” Tillis said on the Facebook post. “I’ll soon introduce legislation to hold these sanctuary jurisdictions accountable.”
The map was based on 2024 data from the Department of Homeland Security, said Adam Webb, a spokesperson for Tillis.
It was later removed, and replaced with a second post stating “facts are important and credit is due.” It mentioned that Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough has honored ICE detainer requests.
“To their credit, some of those counties have been making an active effort to work with ICE to keep dangerous criminals off the streets, especially since HB10 went into effect,” Webb said. “However, some elected officials like [Mecklenburg] Sheriff [Garry] McFadden continue to openly brag that he does not honor ICE’s civilian detainer requests, and he still refuses to call ICE before dangerous prisoners are released and sent back on the streets.”
House Bill 10 passed last year requiring sheriffs to comply with immigration detainers, which are requests from ICE regarding individuals who have been arrested and are believed to be in the country illegally, The News & Observer previously reported.
This year, House Bill 318 would require additional cooperation with ICE by holding inmates who are in the country illegally for 48 hours past their release on bail and to notify ICE two hours before the inmate is set to be released.
The bill would also expand the types of crimes — to include all felonies, driving while impaired and serious misdemeanors — for which law enforcement must determine whether the inmate is a legal resident or citizen.
It passed the House and is currently being considered by the Senate.
Wake County
The city of Raleigh is aware of Trump’s executive order, said Julia Milstead, the city’s public information officer. But she referred other questions to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Willie Rowe does not consider Wake County to be a sanctuary jurisdiction, said Rosalia Fodera, the WCSO’s public information officer.
The county “continues to honor ICE detainers and cooperates with ICE,” she said, and is committed to working with law enforcement partners “in a lawful, professional, and humane manner.”
In a statement Rowe said: “The Wake County Sheriff’s Office works closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, to enforce the law and help ensure the safety of our community.”
“Collaboration is a primary focus and mission of this office,” he said. “I welcome Senator Thom Tillis to visit the Wake County Sheriff’s Office to share accurate information and have a productive conversation about our agency’s past and future cooperation.”
Neither Raleigh nor Wake County answered how much federal money the jurisdictions could lose or if they were changing any policies to address the executive order.
Orange County
All North Carolina sheriffs are following the law, said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood, past president of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.
“I don’t know where Tillis got his information from about who is, or who is not a Sanctuary County,” he said in an email. “The Sheriff’s Office has never made a declaration of being a ‘Sanctuary County.’ I know of no practice or policy of my office that puts the public at risk, gives criminals a free pass, or in any way creates reckless sanctuary policies.”
“Before HB 10 was signed into law, we didn’t honor detainers. Detainers are voluntary requests, not judicial orders,” Blackwood continued. “The notion that we don’t cooperate with our Federal Partners is one that defies logic.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has deputies serving on several federal task forces, and also houses federal detainees in the detention center, he said. In the last three years, the department has received 17 detainer requests, but ICE did not pick up anyone, he said.
There have been five more detainer requests since December, but only one person was picked up, he added, noting that ICE has also never taken the step of issuing federal warrants for unauthorized immigrants.
“For years that is what we have been asking them to do. It would make things much easier for everyone,” Blackwood said.
He acknowledged there have been questions about the constitutionality of House Bill 10 and proposed changes through House Bill 318, but those questions have never been raised in the courts, he said.
“Unless and until this occurs, it is the law,” Blackwood said. “We may have opinions and those opinions may be grounded in laws decided in other matters. To date none have been decided in this matter. One may feel the law is not constitutionally sound but that is one person’s opinion, not the opinion of the Courts.”
Durham County
Durham County, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, the city of Durham and the Durham Police Department have all not responded to The News & Observer for this article.
However, in an email earlier this year, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said detainers have been honored since House Bill 10 became law, and ICE is notified when some unauthorized immigrants are jailed, but not all of them.
The Sheriff’s Office received 14 detainers last year, roughly double the number received in 2023, a spokesperson said. They did not say how many were honored.
“Anyone who is booked into the Durham Detention Facility is fingerprinted and that information is submitted to the National Criminal Instant Criminal Search database overseen by the FBI and administered in NC by the [State Bureau of Investigation],” a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. “Any law enforcement or other agency, including ICE, with access to this database can ascertain who is in the DCDF.”
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This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 9:43 AM.
