BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (828newsNOW) – Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin E. Miller reiterated his non-compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Buncombe County residents in a press release on Feb. 7, 2025. His statement fell short of fully ruling out his office’s involvement in ICE operations.

Miller, who was first elected in 2018, explained, “As the Sheriff, I am not in charge of operating the churches or schools within this community but I am elected to ensure the safety and security of ALL the residents in Buncombe county. WE are a community of WE and because I have deputies positioned in schools as School Resource Officers, my stance is clear and strong that immigration enforcement is not allowed on our school campuses unless forced through a valid court order.”

He continued to press his disagreement with ICE policies, yet stopped short of outright refusing to comply.

“I have repeatedly spoken out against cooperation with ICE, saying federal immigration law is not the responsibility of local officers and damages law enforcement’s trust within the immigrant community,” the sheriff wrote. “I also indicated in the past that I would not comply with just an ICE ‘detainer’ to hold undocumented immigrants taken into custody, however the passing of HB10 amended that compliance to involve the issuance of both a detainer and an administrative warrant in order to hold someone undocumented in custody for up to 48 hours. As much as I have constitutional concerns about holding someone who is able and willing to post bond and subsequently be released, I do not make the laws, I only enforce the laws.”

Miller’s statement directs the officers of his department to “not be partnering with ICE to help enforce federal immigration laws beyond following HB10 which is only after someone has committed a crime.”

Concluding, the sheriff expressed his “deputies will not be arresting and detaining persons to solely investigate immigration status in the absence of probable cause of an independent crime, that is racially profiling and unconstitutional.”