ACLU Pushes Feds To Reject Alamance County's Immigration Enforcement Request

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina is urging the federal government to reject a county's request for immigration enforcement funds. Alamance County sheriff's department has been accused of racial profiling in the past.

In 2012, the Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit against Sheriff Terry Johnson. The case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge, but the Alamance County sheriff's department was reprimanded for some of its actions. It was also ejected from a program that partners local law enforcement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Now, the county wants back in.

Mike Meno with the ACLU says for years they've heard from the Latino community about the office's treatment of its residents.

“The reason we wrote this letter this week about Alamance County in particular is because the documented pattern of discriminatory policing there is so egregious that we feel very strongly this is not the type of policing that should receive federal funding or support.”

The Alamance County Sheriff's Office was not able to comment on this story by deadline.

The Trump administration is scheduled to review all 26 applications from across the country in the coming days.