Granville County sheriff explains cooperation with ICE, jail notification rules and detainee handling

The Granville County sheriff told students at a school “Kids Corner” session that his office cooperates with federal immigration authorities in a limited, statutory way and does not conduct mass immigration round-ups.

Asked how he feels about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the sheriff said he "supports all law enforcement" while stressing a distinction between local jail operations and ICE enforcement: his office notifies ICE under state laws and runs fingerprints for anyone in custody who falls into categories required by statute. "If they're supposed to be picked up by Customs, immigration or Border Patrol, they have 48 hours from the notification time," he said.

The sheriff described that, in practice, ICE sometimes takes custody and deports individuals but sometimes declines to pick them up, in which case the facility releases the person after the statutory window. He framed his approach as following state requirements: "I stay within the law," he said.

He also addressed how the jail manages contraband and entry of personal items: deputies pick up family-ordered food (what he called "Pizza Gate" orders) that are inspected before delivery to detainees, the facility uses full-body scanners and places people who may have ingested contraband into a monitored dry cell until the item is expelled, and staff use narcotics test kits on suspect mail. "We have a full body scanner. Every individual that comes into our detention facility goes to a body scan," he said.

The sheriff confirmed there was an in-custody death on Jan. 25 and said medical conditions — congestive heart failure and pre-existing issues — contributed to the fatality. He said staff and volunteer EMS responded and that investigators have not identified nefarious actions by jail staff. "We mourn with the family," he said.

The sheriff framed these policies as balancing safety and due process: screening and scanning to prevent contraband inside the facility while complying with notification duties to federal authorities when state law requires it. He urged trust in the process and said his office documents and investigates complaints about custody and treatment, bringing findings to leadership for action where warranted.

The session was presented as an outreach event with students; no formal policy changes or votes were announced.