Yes, Durham Co. is a "sanctuary jurisdiction" | UNC COVID-19 public records ruling appealed | Cancel culture @ Raleigh Game & Geek Expo
No. 126 — May 25-May 31, 2025
Durham officials "grossly inaccurate" in denying "sanctuary jurisdiction" label
DHS Exposes Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law - Press Release
Durham County Refutes DHS Designation as Sanctuary County - Press Release
Officials push back after DHS labels Durham County a 'sanctuary jurisdiction' - ABC11
In a now-deleted list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," the Department of Homeland Security named Durham as one of five North Carolina counties accused of "deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens."
In response, Durham Board of County Commissioners and the Durham County Sheriff's Office released a statement attempting to "refute" the accusation, claiming that the county has "never adopted any ordinance, resolution, policy, or proclamation declaring itself a 'sanctuary jurisdiction,'" and that it "does not have any policies/procedures, nor engage in any practices, that would impede cooperation with immigration enforcement or limit compliance with detainer requests."
Although Durham County may be in compliance by the limited standard of "legally required cooperation," the evidence shows the opposite; as his website bragged, "one of Sheriff Birkhead’s first directives in office" was to limit cooperation with immigration enforcement, making the county a de facto "sanctuary jurisdiction" in the absence of any official declaration.
A 2018 INDY article ahead of Birkhead's successful run for sheriff against incumbent Mike Andrews titled "Durham County’s Friendly Relationship With ICE Could Hinge on Its Sheriff’s Reelection Bid" documents that, at the time, the Durham County Sheriff's Office honored all detainer requests from ICE, which Birkhead sought to change.
Birkhead defeated Andrews in the Democratic primary by a tremendous margin, with the incumbent only obtaining 6.5% of the vote to Birkhead's 93.5%.
An archived version of Birkhead's campaign website ahead of his 2022 reelection campaign described how he had put this campaign promise into action: "one of Sheriff Birkhead’s first directives in office was to halt the policy of holding detainees past the time when they legally should be released. DCSO continues to make legally required notifications to federal officials while making detainees available to national law enforcement."
Birkhead ran on a platform of only honoring detainer requests when it would be illegal not to honor them: "if the federal government wants to criticize us for not honoring detainers, I’m OK with that, because I think the community at large will be appreciative of that approach and appreciate us being good stewards of local resources...There’s nothing in the federal law that says I must participate."
An updated version of the page, which was up till at least February 2025, describes Birkhead's policy on the matter in shorter form: "True to his word, Sheriff Birkhead has rejected ICE detainers without a judicial warrant or a Notice to Appear; detainers target marginalized communities."
However, the latitude of North Carolina sheriffs to not cooperate with ICE in this regard was curtailed by the state legislature last year with House Bill 10, which requires State and local law enforcement to hold immigrants for an additional 48-hours when an ICE detainer has been issued.
Even with this legal requirement, ICE has accused Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden of failing to provide sufficient notification of when illegal aliens were scheduled to be released from custody, a loophole which the Republicans in the state legislature are attempting to patch with House Bill 318, which is being considered by the Senate after passing the House on a party-line vote (with only one Democrat voting in favor).
Although the DHS list named Chatham and Orange counties as well, Wake County was notably absent despite ranking #18 nationwide for the number of deportable aliens released into the public, according to previously reported on data obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies, which has previously listed all four counties as "sanctuary jurisdictions."
US Right to Know files brief filed in appeal of UNC COVID-origins public records lawsuit
NC Appeals Court to hear case involving UNC’s possible role in COVID’s origin - Carolina Journal
Medical watchdog organization US Right to Know has filed its appellant brief before the North Carolina Court of Appeals over a decision by an Orange County judge denying the public access to thousands of records possessed by UNC-Chapel Hill, which the organization believes may provide some insight into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
The brief argues that the judge was incorrect in adopting UNC-CH's broad interpretation of a research exemption to the state's public records law, pointing to precedent regarding the interpretation of unclear statutory language, as well as a previous appeals court ruling in DTH Media Corp. v. Folt, that the state's public records law should be "liberally construed" in favor of disclosure, while "exceptions and exemptions to the Public Records Act must be construed narrowly."
Related Coverage:
Public Records Lawsuit Against UNC by Medical Watchdog Group Investigating COVID-19 Origins Advances (Original Article — Nov. 6, 2023)
UNC claims "research project collaborations" are exempt from public records statute in COVID-19 origins investigation lawsuit (No. 57 — Feb. 3, 2024)
U.S. Right to Know public records lawsuit reveals efforts to evade transparency (No. 58 — Feb. 10, 2024)
Coronavirus Pandemic Subcommittee alleges FBI interest in UNC/COVID origins public records requests (No. 59 — Feb. 17, 2024)
UNC COVID-19 Origins Public Records Lawsuit: what does "proprietary mean"? (No. 61 — Mar. 2, 2024)
"Stop Gain of Function" rally at UNC-Chapel Hill (No. 62 — Mar. 9, 2024)
UNC-linked coronavirus researcher accused of "discrepancies in testimony" (No. 66 — Apr. 6, 2024)
UNC coronavirologist Ralph Baric: "can't rule out" lab leak origin of COVID-19 (No. 70 — May 4, 2024)
3rd Party Report Finds UNC Withheld Public Records Requested by Medical Watchdog Group Investigating COVID-19 Origins (Original Article — Aug. 1, 2024)
Judge rules in favor of UNC in public records suit brought by medical watchdog investigating COVID-19 (No. 94 — Oct. 19, 2024)
U.S. Right to Know appeals public records lawsuit ruling vs UNC (No. 99 — Nov. 23, 2024)
UNC lab leaks? Evidence indicates seven lab-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections in Chapel Hill during pandemic, researchers say (interview) (Original Article — Apr. 26, 2025)
Raleigh "Game and Geek Expo" disinvites content creator over "problematic" right-wing politics
Cody Dennison aka Camelot 331 Fights Back Against Game & Geek Convention Ban By Exposing Recorded Call With Convention Organizer - Fandom Pulse
12 Days Before the Con: Cody Dennison Cancelled from GGE - Report AFK
NASCAR driver and YouTuber Cody Dennison was "canceled" from the upcoming Game & Geek Expo in Raleigh due to complaints that his presence as a conservative would violate the "inclusivity" of the facially non-political event, according to an email and recorded phone call he shared on Twitter/X:
Hi Cody,
Thank you again for your interest in being a part of Game & Geek Expo. We appreciate the time and effort you've put into your content and the support you've shown toward our event.
After careful consideration, we've made the decision to move forward without your involvement in this year's
show. While we truly appreciate your recent efforts, including the removal of one of the flagged videos, additional content has since surfaced that has raised continued concerns from our community, guests, and sponsors.Unfortunately, we've already experienced the loss of a sponsor and several other guest participants due to this situation, and it is beginning to negatively affect the overall perception and inclusivity of our event.
Please understand this is not a reflection on you as a creator, but rather a necessary step to ensure we are maintaining a space that is welcoming, respectful, and positive for all attendees and partners. We absolutely respect your right to creative expression and free speech, but we also have a responsibility to our broader community.
According to Dennison, he had been invited to the event as a "celebrity guest," and had already spent "over $700" on unique merch designed for the event before being notified by Raleigh Retro Gamers, the event's sponsor, just 12 days before the expo.
Protest Watch
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools faces apparently unrelated same-day student walkouts
Chapel Hill High students 'walked out' for Palestine. - More to the Story by A.P. Dillon
Chapel Hill High Students Walk Into Woods for Palestine Protest Following Dispute with Admin - INDY
On Thursday, fifty students walked out of class at Chapel Hill High School into the woods across the street to protest the "intensification of Israel’s genocide in Gaza," according to reporting by INDY. CHCCS has faced pushback from pro-Israel organizations such as Voice4Israel, Unified Jewish Voices, and The Algemeiner over previous pro-Palestine activism related to the district, including a similar student walkout last year, as well as an anti-Israel display that was allowed to be set up in the Carrboro High School library.
Carrboro students walk out of class to protest principal, advocate for their teachers - N&O
In an apparently unrelated event on the same day in the same district, approximately a eighty students walked out of class at Carrboro High School and marched to a district administrative building two miles away to protest school conditions and the leadership (or lack thereof) by Principal Helena Thomas.
According to reporting by the News & Observer, a letter associated with the protest lists issues such as lack of communication regarding issues such as bomb threats or tornado warnings, male students spying on the female restroom, hampering school resource officers, and inconsistent or unfairly applied discipline.
Strike/protest inside Durham Wingstop location over "disrespectful" general manager
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