Dereliction of Duty: ICE Lists 22 Times Mecklenburg County Has Endangered Public Safety by Denying Detainer Requests

MECKLENBURG – While ICE is able to capture ‘unlawfully present’ individuals with their own work and resources, cooperation from local law enforcement can help exponentially. It’s quite simple: law enforcement makes an arrest for a purported crime, they check the immigration status of the suspect, and if the suspect is in the country illegally they simply hold on to him or her until federal authorities arrive to enforce immigration law and get the perpetrator out of our communities.

Yet, a handful of ‘Sanctuary Sheriffs’ (Mecklenburg, Durham, Wake, etc.) across the Old North State refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, instead they ignore detention requests and release illegal aliens, charged with crimes like sexually abusing a child, right back into the public. It makes no sense, unless a diminution of the rule of law is somehow your goal.

After ICE captured a repeat illegal border-crossing Honduran who was charged with rape and indecent liberties with a child by Mecklenburg County, AND THEN RELEASED instead of being held for ICE, the federal agency published a list of 22 recent incidences in which Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has similarly endangered public safety.

Here they are:

• A 31-year-old citizen of Honduras who was previously removed by ICE in June 2009, was arrested by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in February 2019 for sex offenses and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in February 2019. In March 2019, he was arrested at-large in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.
• A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in March 2019, for breaking and entering a motor vehicle, larceny, simple assault, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 30-year-old citizen of Honduras was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in August 2018 for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In August 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored and he was released in March 2019 and remains at-large. He was convicted of a lesser charge in March 2019.
• A 40-year-old citizen of Guatemala was arrested in October 2018 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple counts of indecent liberties with a child, rape, among other sex offenses, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In October 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019. In March 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 42-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in August 2013, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for gun and drug charges and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and she was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 33-year-old citizen of Sri Lanka, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in September 2009, was arrested in February 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department multiple counts of felony and misdemeanor larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 47-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was removed from the United States in February 2014, was arrested in February 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 22-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in April 2015, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, assault on a female, and communicating threats, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 30-year-old citizen of Liberia was arrested in March 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico, who was previously removed from the United States in January 2007 and April 2016, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department as a fugitive and for gun charges and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 27-year-old citizen of Afghanistan was arrested in March 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for stalking and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019. In April 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in December 2018 for sex offenses involving a child and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In December 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in January 2019. In April 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 27-year-old citizen of El Salvador was arrested in April 2019 by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for assault by strangulation and assault on a female and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 38-year-old citizen of Guatemala, previously removed from the United States in June 2009, was arrested in February 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for multiple charges, including kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 19-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in April 2017, was arrested in April 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault an injury to real property and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019 and remains at-large. He was previously encountered in August 2018 when he was detained at the Mecklenburg County Jail for the charges of robbery and breaking and entering a motor vehicle, and felony conspiracy. The Mecklenburg County Jail declined to honor that ICE detainer, and he was released in December 2018.
• A 30-year-old citizen of India was arrested in April 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple assault charges and first degree burglary and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019 and remains at-large.
• A 37-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was removed from the United States in December 2006, was arrested March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple charges including assault on a female, felony larceny, simple assault, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. 
• A 21-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in August 2018, was arrested in December 2018 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In December 2018, the Pacific Enforcement Response Center issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in December 2018. He was arrested again in January 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for Robbery with Dangerous Weapon and Assault with a Deadly Weapon and was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail. In January 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored for the second time, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 23-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in May 2018, was arrested in May 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple charges including assault and larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and she was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 25-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested in May 2019 by the Mint Hill Police Department for DWI and drug charges and into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 19-year-old citizen of Honduras was arrested in May 2019, by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for Indecent Liberties with Child and was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.
• A 28-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested in May 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, assault on a female and communicating threats and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. He also has pending narcotics and gun charges stemming from an arrest made by Wilson County in August 2018. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.

This is just one county, albeit a big one. Imagine what similar lists of ignored detainers/at-large dangerous criminals could be compiled through out the rest of the counties with sanctuary sheriffs.

If you’re thinking, ‘There should be a law!,’ there is! And there are more bills to help force sheriffs to honor ICE detainers currently collecting dust in the General Assembly.