Buncombe Co. labeled immigrant sanctuary is 'blatantly incorrect,' Sheriff Miller says
By Jose Sandoval
June 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM EDT
North Carolina’s senior U.S. senator says he wants nine “sanctuary” counties held accountable, including Buncombe – but Sheriff Quentin Miller says the label itself is “blatantly incorrect.”
In late April, on X, Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis accused nine North Carolina counties of refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement and shielding “dangerous criminal illegals.”
“I’ll soon introduce legislation to hold these sanctuary jurisdictions accountable,” Tillis wrote.
Earlier, President Donald Trump had signed an executive order directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
DHS published a “sanctuary” jurisdiction list on May 29 but took it down days later, according to WLOS.
Responding to Tillis’ post last week, Miller wrote, “Buncombe County has never been a sanctuary county. There is not a single BSCO policy that would in any way limit our cooperation with federal law enforcement or immigration services.”
Miller also sent Tillis a letter, which states in part: “I’m officially requesting clarification as to how it was determined in 2025, that Buncombe County would be labeled a sanctuary jurisdiction, and if you can’t provide the necessary and relevant facts to support that label, then please remove Buncombe County from the sanctuary list.”
The sheriff then explained in an almost four-minute video, his office fully complies with a state law that requires all North Carolina sheriffs to hold any arrestees who don’t have proof of their citizenship or legal immigration status. The hold, which is for those charged with a felony or serious misdemeanor, allows ICE agents up to an extra 48 hours to either verify their status or take them into custody.
“ Since the passage of House Bill 10, we have had 15 detainees that we've contacted ICE about,” Miller said. “One of which is still in our custody, and we have just released one to ice enforcement.”
Before HB10 became law, Miller did not honor ICE detainers. In 2019, he opted Buncombe County out of the ICE program known as 287(g), which enlists local law enforcement to help with immigration enforcement.
The 287 (g) program agreements are based on three models, according to the agency’s website:
Miller says his reasoning for not honoring ICE detainers before HB 10 became law was simple: it wasn’t a valid court document.
“The reason I did not honor detainers at that time was because they were not signed by a judge and therefore not a valid court document to hold a detainee who otherwise would be eligible for release,” Miller said. “ Now that House Bill 10 is the law and includes both a detainer and a warrant, I have no issues enforcing the 48-hour hold.”
BPR reached out to Tillis’ office for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
In late April, on X, Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis accused nine North Carolina counties of refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement and shielding “dangerous criminal illegals.”
“I’ll soon introduce legislation to hold these sanctuary jurisdictions accountable,” Tillis wrote.
Earlier, President Donald Trump had signed an executive order directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
DHS published a “sanctuary” jurisdiction list on May 29 but took it down days later, according to WLOS.
Responding to Tillis’ post last week, Miller wrote, “Buncombe County has never been a sanctuary county. There is not a single BSCO policy that would in any way limit our cooperation with federal law enforcement or immigration services.”
Miller also sent Tillis a letter, which states in part: “I’m officially requesting clarification as to how it was determined in 2025, that Buncombe County would be labeled a sanctuary jurisdiction, and if you can’t provide the necessary and relevant facts to support that label, then please remove Buncombe County from the sanctuary list.”
The sheriff then explained in an almost four-minute video, his office fully complies with a state law that requires all North Carolina sheriffs to hold any arrestees who don’t have proof of their citizenship or legal immigration status. The hold, which is for those charged with a felony or serious misdemeanor, allows ICE agents up to an extra 48 hours to either verify their status or take them into custody.
“ Since the passage of House Bill 10, we have had 15 detainees that we've contacted ICE about,” Miller said. “One of which is still in our custody, and we have just released one to ice enforcement.”
Before HB10 became law, Miller did not honor ICE detainers. In 2019, he opted Buncombe County out of the ICE program known as 287(g), which enlists local law enforcement to help with immigration enforcement.
The 287 (g) program agreements are based on three models, according to the agency’s website:
- Jail-based immigration enforcement, which can lead to deportation processes after a person is arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies.
- Local task forces that extend limited immigration authority to local police officers.
- Warrant-service training and authority, allowing state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants.
Miller says his reasoning for not honoring ICE detainers before HB 10 became law was simple: it wasn’t a valid court document.
“The reason I did not honor detainers at that time was because they were not signed by a judge and therefore not a valid court document to hold a detainee who otherwise would be eligible for release,” Miller said. “ Now that House Bill 10 is the law and includes both a detainer and a warrant, I have no issues enforcing the 48-hour hold.”
BPR reached out to Tillis’ office for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.