Alamance County jail ends agreement to house ICE detainees, NC sheriff says
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U.S. Border Patrol in the Triangle
The U.S. Border Patrol sent agents to Raleigh, Durham, Cary and other parts of the Triangle Nov. 18 and 19 after a surge of enforcement in Charlotte. Here’s ongoing reporting from The News & Observer.
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The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office will stop housing people detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, but the sudden change is not in response to the controversial immigration operations in North Carolina.
It’s a matter of “operational constraints,” county officials say.
Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson says the change went into effect Nov. 16, due to the recently ratified “Iryna’s Law,” named after a Charlotte woman who was killed by a mentally ill man with and 14 prior arrests.
The law is expected to extend jail stays due to stricter bail rules for a broad category of violent offenses, experts say. The law goes into effect Dec. 1.
“These changes materially affect our ability to manage classification, housing, and supervision of detainees in our facility and will require us to prioritize bed space and resources for local and state inmates and remain compliant with state law and court directives.” Johnson said in a Nov. 19 news release.
Alamance County’s jail had been housing and transporting ICE detainees on a “space available” basis, officials said.
The county hasn’t revealed how many immigrants were handled through the agreement, or if any were among the 250 people recently arrested by Border Patrol in Charlotte. That operation began Saturday, Nov. 15 – the day before Alamance County decided to stop talking detainees.
“The Sheriff’s Office values the working relationship we continue to have with ICE and wants to ensure an orderly and cooperative transition,” Alamance County officials said.
Border Patrol officials have said they are targeting the “worst of the worst” among people accused of being in the country illegally.
The operation has sparked protests in cities across the state, with critics noting agents are terrorizing communities by making arrests while wearing masks and driving in unmarked cars.
Alamance County is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Raleigh.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Alamance County jail ends agreement to house ICE detainees, NC sheriff says."
