Federal Immigration Enforcement โExpands to Raleigh, North carolina
Raleigh, N.C. – โคFederal immigration enforcement is expanding in North Carolina, with Immigration andโฃ enforcement (ICE) agents deploying to Raleigh as part of a nationwide crackdown on โjurisdictions perceived as uncooperative with immigration โฃauthorities. The move comes โขamid heightened scrutiny of “sanctuary policies” and follows similar deployments to Mecklenburg County โearlier thisโ year, signaling a โฃbroader federalโ effort to increase immigration enforcement within the state.
North Carolina has become a focal point in national โขdebates surrounding crime and immigration, issues central to the White House agenda. While most North Carolina county jailsโค historically honored federal “detainers” – requests toโ hold arrested immigrants for potential ICE โขcustody – policies in cities likeโฃ Raleigh and Charlotte limited local police assistance with immigration enforcement. Theโ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated its focus on the state stems from these policies, โขclaiming approximately 1,400 detainers across โNorth Carolina have gone unfulfilledโ as October 2020, potentially โendangering public safety.
Recent state law changesโค have compelled Mecklenburg County and โWake Countyโข jails to honor detainer requests, reversing previous โฃpolicies.โ however, DHS maintains the need for increased federal presence to ensure compliance. The deployment to Raleigh is viewed by Northโข Carolina Republicanโค Party spokesperson Matt Mercer as a necessary step, stating in a text message that it demonstrates the โTrump governance is “finally taking โseriously” failures by “radical Democrats.”
The โincreased federal attention to North Carolina follows a summer marked by high-profile incidents, including the fatal stabbing of โUkrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train. Though the โคsuspect was a U.S. citizen with a history of arrests, the Trump administration highlighted his prior record.
North Carolina’sโ political landscape presents a complexโ backdrop for โขthese enforcement efforts. Governor Josh Stein has sought bipartisan collaboration with the Republican-controlled state Legislature, while the state’s two U.S. senators are both โฃRepublican. Donald Trump has won the state in โคthe last three presidential โฃelections.