Sheriff Defends Immigration Screening at Jail, Citing ‘Misinformation’ by Critics

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Irwin Carmichael on Tuesday defended a controversial federal program that flags county jail inmates for deportation proceedings.

The 287(g) program, which has been used in Mecklenburg County since 2006, runs the names of people arrested for any offense through a federal database to determine whether they’re undocumented immigrants. Fifty-nine jurisdictions in the United States participate in the program, including four other North Carolina counties.

Carmichael said elected officials and others have been spreading misinformation about 287(g).

He said the sheriff’s office is not involved in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations outside the jail.

Read more at the Charlotte Observer

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