WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina county’s jail will stop accepting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees when its contract with the federal government ends.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. announced Tuesday that the county jail won’t allow ICE to house detainees for civil violations of federal immigration law, saying the sheriff’s office “never will be an extension” of immigration services.
The contract with the U.S. Marshals Service that allows ICE to use the jail ends April 30. Kimbrough says U.S. Marshals can continue to keep their fugitives in the jail.
Kimbrough’s decision follows similar moves in North Carolina, as sheriffs re-evaluate their relationship with ICE. He made his announcement following a rally by a group in support of a man from Honduras who was arrested Monday.
