WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Forsyth County Sheriff is clarifying his position on working with federal immigration officers.

• Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough says being an undocumented immigrant violates federal law, and that’s not his jurisdiction.
• “We will work with ICE, but we will not be an extension of ICE doing roundups," he said.
• The county gets money from the government for each inmate it holds.

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough wanted to make sure the media conveys his position clearly regarding federal inmates being housed in the Forsyth County Jail. He says being an undocumented immigrant violates federal law, and that’s not his jurisdiction.

The sheriff says he will not honor i203s submitted by ICE. An i1203 is an immigration hold placed by ICE agents which prevents the person from being released for at least a 38-hour period from the time the hold is placed, or until they are transferred to an immigration detention center.

Kimbrough says once someone makes bail and does everything legally, he will release them. He will not hold them until ICE can pick them up. He says that’s because holding someone like that is like detaining them without due process.

“We will work with ICE, but we will not be an extension of ICE doing roundups. As it relates to human trafficking and other crimes, yes. But we will not be an extension of immigration enforcement," Kimbrough said. 

“If there is a warrant attached to that by a US judge or US magistrate, of course,” Kimbrough said. “That’s what we are saying. Because then you would have obey because it has authority then. It has authority because it’s been signed by our US judge and US magistrate.”

The sheriff says he intends to end the agreement which is part of a contract with US Marshalls, signed by the previous sheriff. It committed the sheriff's office to honor the immigration hold. That agreement ends in April.

Since the county gets money from the government for each inmate it holds, the sheriff was asked if they would lose money by not housing federal inmates. 

“Of course, but money does not drive my decision,” he said.

Between July 2018 and January 2019, the county got $38,000 from the government in exchange for housing federal inmates.