WASHINGTON — Border Czar Tom Homan says Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden should call ICE before people subject to detainers are released from jail. Homan’s comments come as North Carolina House lawmakers are set to discuss a bill Tuesday that would clarify that a phone call is mandatory.
Outside the White House Monday, there were 100 posters marking 100 deportations over the first 100 days. One of the posters shows the face of Edras Barrios-DeLeon, a 38-year-old Honduran national whose criminal history includes a child sex abuse guilty plea out of Burke County.
Border Czar Tom Homan says 139,000 people have been deported during Trump’s first 100 days.
ICE arrests in Charlotte are happening every day. Last week, four people were arrested outside Mecklenburg County Court. Homan says expect that to keep happening.
“I’ve been to court. I’ve watched fathers get arrested for not paying child support, and I can’t arrest the public safety threat there?” Homan said. “If we have to do it there, that’s where we’re going to go.”
ICE and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden have been feuding over how detainers are applied. Sheriff McFadden is holding people for the required 48 hours, but not calling ICE before suspects are released from jail. He says the law doesn’t require him to do so.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Homan said. “If you care about the safety and security of your community, give us that public safety trust to do our job.”
Sheriff McFadden is crafting a policy for future federal arrests at the courthouse. He says he’s worried this will deter people from showing up to court.
“People who are undocumented are victims of crime,” Sheriff McFadden said. “People who are undocumented also witness crimes.”
A spokesperson for the sheriff declined to comment on Homan’s remarks.
Homan is asking for the ability to make arrests at the jail.
“Victims and witnesses of a crime don’t want the bad guy back in their neighborhood,” he said. “Give us access to the jail to arrest the public safety threat. It’s safer for the officer; it’s safer for the alien. It’s certainly safer for the community.”
HB318, sponsored by Speaker Hall, may receive a vote as soon as Tuesday. It requires sheriffs to place the phone call to ICE before a person subject to a detainer is released.
Channel 9 Government Reporter Joe Bruno was at the White House on Monday, conducting interviews with administration officials about the first 100 days.
Helene
With a shoutout in his inaugural address and a visit to Western North Carolina hours later, Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump, Kaelan Door, says President Trump has shown Western North Carolina’s recovery from Helene is a priority.
“It’s not hard to simply put the American people first, right?” Dorr said.
Last week, President Trump’s administration approved Governor Josh Stein’s housing recovery plan. This paves the way for $1.4 billion in grant funds, mainly for low to moderate income homeowners to rebuild in western North Carolina.
This week, Governor Stein is appealing FEMA’s decision to only cover 90 percent of costs associated with debris removal instead of 100 percent. Governor Stein says without a six-month extension, the state could be on the hook for $200 million.
Congressman Richard Hudson of the 9th District says he’s hopeful FEMA and North Carolina can reach an agreement, but the state has to prepare if they can’t.
“It would be nice if we could get it to continue, but if not, the state’s certainly capable of stepping up and doing their part,” Rep. Hudson said. “But regardless, we’re going to make sure those people in Western North Carolina get what they need.”
The appeal is now in the hands of President Donald Trump. In Governor Stein’s letter to President Trump, he said granting an extension of the 100 percent match will “allow us to continue to build on the momentum you have helped us achieve. It would also send a strong message to our people that their federal government has not forgotten them.”
As the state continues to recover, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wants the public to know its national parks and trails in western NC are open and ready for visitors.
“I hope that everyone will have an opportunity to get out and not only see our parks but the national park system,” Secretary Burgum said.
Tax cuts and tariffs
One of President Trump’s top accomplishments of his first term was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Those tax cuts are scheduled to sunset at the end of the year. Admin officials say the next 100 days will focus in large part on extending and expanding these tax cuts. Congressional Republicans are negotiating another round of tax cuts and the extension of the 2017 law passed when Trump was president in his first term.
Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina’s 9th District says Congress is going to get the bill done.
“Republicans in Congress and the White House both agree it’s an important priority,” he said. “We made a promise to the American people; we won’t raise their taxes.”
On the campaign trail, President Trump pitched no taxes on tips, social security, or overtime. Deputy Assistant to Trump Kaelan Dorr says those all remain top priorities of the President in this new bill.
“Obviously, making sure we do no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and fulfilling all of those promises we made on the campaign trail in regard to our domestic agenda is very important,” Dorr said.
The tax legislation comes at a time when Americans are watching to see the impact of tariffs. The Trump administration paused tariffs on most countries as negotiations took place, but a 145% tariff remains in place for China.
Rep. Hudson says the impact remains to be seen.
“In the short term, it may cause a little bit of uncertainty and a little bit of concern for people, but we’ve got to trust President Trump to see this through,” he said.
If the tax cuts aren’t extended, the White House projects the average taxpayer will see a 22 percent hike.
The Political Beat
On Sunday’s Political Beat, Joe Bruno is also joined by Charlotte native Bo Hines, the Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets of the White House.
Bruno will also talk to the new Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair, Wesley Harris, about President Trump’s first 100 days of his second term and Harris’ new role with the party.
The Political Beat airs Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Channel 9 and at 10:30 p.m. on TV64.
VIDEO: ICE identifies four men arrested outside Mecklenburg County courthouse
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