President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

UPDATE: On Friday afternoon, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) responded to the Department of Homeland Security’s list of “sanctuary jurisdictions,” which includes Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties, each of which fall under her district.

“This outrageous list is nothing more than a politically motivated stunt designed to intimidate and punish local governments that refuse to be complicit in this Administration’s cruel, anti-immigrant agenda,” she said in a written statement. “Rather than pursue humane immigration policies or meaningful pathways to citizenship, the Trump Administration continues to vilify immigrant communities, erode public trust, and sow fear and division.”

She continued by objecting to the idea of local police being used to enforce federal policy.

“Let me be clear: our local law enforcement agencies are under no obligation to serve as an arm of federal immigration enforcement, and have done nothing to warrant this blatant political attack,” she wrote. “I stand with Chatham County, Durham County, Orange County, and every jurisdiction across the country that refuses to be bullied into abandoning our values and turning our backs on the people and communities we were elected to protect and serve.”

Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties are just a few of hundreds of counties and cities recently labeled as “sanctuary jurisdictions” by the Department of Homeland Security. The department defines sanctuary jurisdictions as areas “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities.”

The classification of these counties as a sanctuary jurisdiction comes as part of “Executive Order 14287: Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens” which was recently signed by President Donald Trump. A page on the Department of Homeland Security’s website titled “Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law” lists both cities and counties it says meet the standard. The other North Carolina counties listed are Buncombe and Watauga County.

Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead responded to the new designation, rebuking the claim that the county’s actions or policies violate federal statutes in any way.

“Let me be clear, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office complies with the law as it is written,” Birkhead’s statement reads. “Our State has laws requiring Sheriffs to check the immigration status of those detained in our jails and explains the procedural steps to comply with immigration detainers. To say the Durham County Sheriff’s Office is engaging in practices that conflict with federal law is grossly inaccurate.”

He claimed that enforcing these laws is not within his professional purview.

“As the locally elected Sheriff of Durham County, I am granted authority under the Constitution and the laws of the State of North Carolina, and nowhere in these documents am I, or any other Sheriff, empowered to enforce federal law,” he said.

He went on to lambaste the designation in general.

“This new DHS designation seeks to force cities and counties to align their policies and procedures with those of federal agencies, without providing any guidance,” he said. “Neither yesterday’s DHS announcement nor recent Executive Orders define the term ‘sanctuary’ or provide guidelines on what it considers compliance.”

He ended the statement with a direct call to the Department of Homeland Security.

“As Durham County leadership stated, I respectfully request that someone explain the basis for this designation,” he said. “Otherwise, remove Durham County from this list. Again, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office is in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal and state law.”

According to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, foreign-born residents make up more than ten percent of the populations of both Orange and Durham counties, with Orange being 12% and Durham being 15%. The county with the highest percentage, Mecklenburg with 16%, was not listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction. They also claim that of North Carolina’s 501,000 non-citizens, roughly 37% are either undocumented or their documentation is expired.

Representatives from Chatham County have yet to respond to the new designation.

 

Featured image via AP Photo/Evan Vucci

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