CHARLOTTE — North Carolina’s House Speaker says he will introduce a bill in the next week or two to change how sheriffs are required to cooperate with ICE.
For months, Channel 9 has been reporting on the dispute between Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden and ICE.
ICE says Sheriff McFadden isn’t calling the agency before a suspect is released. Detainers request this notification. Sheriff McFadden says state law doesn’t require him to make the call.
Speaker Destin Hall says that phone call should be made.
“I think overwhelmingly the people of this state believe that if you’re here illegally and you’re charged with a serious crime in our state, that you have to get—and that it’s common sense for local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.”
The changes come after Channel 9 spotlighted the arrest of Jose Napoleon Serrano.
ICE placed a detainer on him but says they were not notified before he was released.
Sheriff McFadden says ICE should have picked him up during the 48-hour hold.
Napoleon Serrano is due in federal court on Friday for a detention hearing.
VIDEO: Sheriff pushes back against ICE with timeline of man’s arrest
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
