Buncombe County Removed from Federal "Sanctuary Jurisdiction" List

Buncombe County -- August 6, 2025: Buncombe County no longer appears on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) latest list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," which was released by the Department of Justice on August 5, 2025.

This development comes after the county was included on an initial, widely contested, version of the list published on May 29, 2025, which was later removed from the DHS website.

The initial designation sparked an immediate and strong reaction from local officials. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller publicly disputed the label, calling it "blatantly incorrect." He wrote a letter to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis requesting clarification and the county's removal from the list.

The core of Miller's argument was the county's compliance with a state law, North Carolina House Bill 10, which became effective in December 2024. This law mandates that all county sheriffs in North Carolina must cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests for individuals charged with felonies or serious misdemeanors who lack proof of legal immigration status. The sheriff stated that his office was adhering to this law, directly contradicting the "sanctuary" designation.

The initial DHS list, which also included four other North Carolina counties, was met with widespread criticism regarding its methodology and accuracy, leading to its removal from the DHS website shortly after its release.

The absence of Buncombe County from the updated list means that the federal government's position has changed. This is a result of either federal authorities reviewing Buncombe County's case and accepting the county's claim of compliance, or refining the criteria for what constitutes a "sanctuary jurisdiction," which Buncombe County's policies no longer met. This outcome resolves the local debate over the county's status, but the broader conversation over the federal government's sanctuary jurisdiction list and its review process is ongoing.  Each state, county, and city on the list will have the opportunity to respond to its placement on the list.

WNCTimes

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