Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) posted about sanctuary jurisdictions in North Carolina. He later admitted he was wrong about Forsyth County.
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. โ A social media post from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) outraged the Forsyth County Sheriff. After 2 Wants to Know pushed for answers, the senator is now walking back what he originally posted.
On Monday night, Tillis posted about a new executive order from President Donald Trump. While doing so, he accused several counties, including Guilford and Forsyth, of operating as sanctuary jurisdictions. The designation applies to cities, counties and states that do not comply with orders from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.ย
On Tuesday, we took that post to both sheriff’s offices, which denied the claim. Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. (D-Forsyth County) even asked that the senator apologize for spreading ‘inaccurate information.’
We told the senator’s office about that request, which said that the sheriff owed the people of Forsyth County an apology. It said he let dangerous criminals onto the streets by not complying with ICE. It cited a June 2024 report from the US Department of Homeland Security, which designated both Guilford and Forsyth counties as ‘non-cooperative.’ The report gives that distinction to jurisdictions that don’t follow ICE detainers, which require agencies to both notify ICE before releasing an undocumented immigrant and hold them for 48 hours.
On Wednesday, we sat down with Kimbrough. He wasn’t happy.
“If you know anything about the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, we have always been legal,” Kimbrough said. ‘We’ve always been transparent. We don’t do politics here.”
“It baffles me,” he continued.
The sheriff showed us copies of letters he’d received from several federal agencies, including Homeland Security. In those letters, the agencies thanked him for his office’s partnership and cooperation. He also told us he had 22 inmates in his jail right now, held on ICE detainers.
“How can you be non-cooperative when I have 22 ICE detainers over there that I’m paying for,” Kimbrough said.
We took what the sheriff said to Tillis’ office, and we asked for an interview. The office declined to let us speak with the senator.
A spokesperson told us over the phone that he didn’t believe that the sheriff had 22 inmates held on detainers. In an email, he wrote: “It certainly seems like the sheriffโs office is providing a lot of information that is irrelevant to the fact of whether or not Forsyth is a non-cooperating sanctuary jurisdiction.”
Kimbrough and a sheriff’s office spokesperson reiterated several times during and after our interview that his office follows all federal and state laws.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said it does the same, and it disagreed with what the senator posted Monday night.
On Wednesday, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office sent us a statement. It wrote: “It is inaccurate to claim the GCSO was uncooperative with ICE in June 2024 or now.”
However, the sheriff’s office admitted it did not follow the 48-hour requirement in June 2024, citing constitutional concerns. That was before state lawmakers passed a law requiring sheriff’s offices to do so. In the statement, the sheriff’s office said it updated its policies once that law took effect in December 2024.
“Under the new statute, ICE agents have come to the GCSO’s jails and picked up a number of inmates who are subject to its detainers. Accordingly, any claim that the GCSO doesn’t cooperate with ICE is incorrect.”
Kimbrough told us it offended him that someone questioned whether he fulfills his oath as a law enforcement officer. He said he welcomes a conversation with the senator.
“Let me take you to my restaurant, one of my favorites, the Village Tavern,” Kimbrough said. “Let’s sit, have a glass of tea and let me give you facts and documentation rather than just spewing out information.”
Thursday night, Tillis’ office reached out to us to walk back its previous statements. It told us that it had discovered new evidence that verified what the sheriff said about having 22 inmates on ICE detainers. It said it verified that the sheriff’s office had been complying with ICE and not operating as a sanctuary county. That verification came after WFMY News 2 pushed for answers.
In a statement, Sen. Tillis said: “Facts are important to get right, and credit is due here. Forsyth County under Sheriff Kimbrough has indeed been honoring the vast majority of ICE detainer requests, including 22 since President Trump’s inauguration for illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes.”
The senator also posted that statement to his social media page. His original post was not taken down as of Thursday night.
We reached back out to Sheriff Kimbrough’s office after hearing from the senator. He sent us a statement, which reads: “I’m grateful and very appreciative of the senator. We look forward to a long-standing relationship and cooperation to make this state and this place great, as always.”
Both Guilford and Forsyth County government leaders also maintained that neither of their counties operate, or have ever operated, as sanctuary jurisdictions.
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