LEILA FADEL, HOST:
And now we have Sheriff Garry McFadden of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in the city of Charlotte, on the line with us this morning. Good morning, and thank you for being on the program.
GARRY MCFADDEN: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
FADEL: So I wanted to start with who contacted you, and what exactly were you told?
MCFADDEN: Well, we had built a relationship with ICE earlier because of all of the rhetoric throughout the United States. And so I decided to make the final effort to call a meeting, and they were gracious enough to come to my office, and we had a very productive meeting to create better communications. And so...
FADEL: And that was back in October.
MCFADDEN: Yes. October 17 - never forget it. And so we had a better relationship, just to say, can we collaborate, cooperate and communicate? You know, I cannot stop you from what you're doing within my city and my county, but I think collaboration and communication would be better. So we got a call from an official, not with ICE, but another federal official. And then an ICE regional director had conversation with me. And that is good to say because we had had these conversations but not about the raid, but the open communication and conversations...
FADEL: Yeah.
MCFADDEN: ...Have now been better.
FADEL: So the call you got was not from ICE. It was from...
MCFADDEN: No. It was another official...
FADEL: OK.
MCFADDEN: ...And also an ICE official.
FADEL: And when you say it's - we can't stop what you're going to do. It's better to cooperate and collaborate. What will the sheriff's department do when it comes to cooperating with Customs and Border Patrol and ICE agents when they come to Charlotte?
MCFADDEN: Well, we are not going to do any enforcement with them. But we have to understand that what may occur is, you know, civil unrest. So then if a civil unrest begins, then we would have to take the necessary actions to protect the citizens and people in our city and county. So we're not going to participate with any enforcement. It's just that we have to be mindful to protect our citizens and other people and even law enforcement at some entities if this becomes a violent confrontation.
FADEL: OK. And are...
MCFADDEN: We can't sit back.
FADEL: Are you concerned about that? I mean, I know that there is a lot of tension and anger and fear as to what ICE might do in your city...
MCFADDEN: Well...
FADEL: ...Given what's happened in Chicago. And at times, people have felt terrorized, including major raids on apartment buildings where we saw children being taken from their beds and zip-tied. I mean, what are your worries when it comes to your community that might react to ICE agents?
MCFADDEN: Well, it is fear. And what I was trying to allude to many people, a lot of our leaders and community advocates sat back and just verbally criticize and talk about this. We should have been trying to build a road into a better understanding. Even if you do not get any cooperation that you needed, at least you can prepare for what you have been told to do. And so that is what we did at the sheriff's office.
FADEL: Yeah.
MCFADDEN: And, of course, it is fear. And I was trying to explain it to some people yesterday. Certain entities of our community, the Latino community, live in fear every day, and now it's different from being scared. So now what has happened is now our city officials and others are now living in that same world that our Latino community is living in. Now they are in fear of the uncertain. And so now everybody's experienced the same thing.
FADEL: What about you? What are you feeling in this moment as you prepare? I mean, what are you going to do? How are you going to reassure your community? How are you going to protect your community?
MCFADDEN: Well, again, because I've had contact...
FADEL: Yeah.
MCFADDEN: ...And this is my 40th year, four decades of law enforcement...
FADEL: Wow.
MCFADDEN: ...I well know we cannot control the wind. We cannot control what is going to go on. We just have to better understand it and be prepared to respond and react. And so when I had a conversation with my staff, we don't know, but we are prepared to respond and react. And so mine is not fear. Mine is just uncertainty...
FADEL: Yeah.
MCFADDEN: Because we have been in these conversations for years, not months, not weeks. This is a battle that I have been facing for years. And so when people say, why Charlotte? Well, because when we took 287(g) off the table, we were very vocal about protecting our citizens and residents here and stood at the door each time immigration came in. I expected it. It wasn't a surprise to me. I had expected it because, as we say, now it is your turn. And the reason I said that - because I kept up...
FADEL: And it...
MCFADDEN: ...With this completely the whole time.
FADEL: 287(g) - you're referring to cooperation with - between local law enforcement and ICE.
MCFADDEN: Yes. It was a volunteer program. And so we had the ability to say yes or no because it's a voluntary program. And what happened is, basically, the community is not well educated on what is happening with House bills and Senate bills...
FADEL: Right.
MCFADDEN: ...And all of this.
FADEL: Just in the few seconds we have left, when do you expect agents to appear in Charlotte, and why do you think they're coming to your city?
MCFADDEN: As early as Saturday and because we are a stronghold. And, you know, I'm a Democratic, very outspoken sheriff. And so I think they will come and say, we know that you're here.
FADEL: That is Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden. Thank you so much for your time.
MCFADDEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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