A North Carolina celebrity sheriff who opposes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also lacks a basic grasp on the three branches of government – and which one he serves under.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden boasts on his bio of having “one of the highest solve rates in police department history, which led to him starring in his own television series, ‘I Am Homicide.'”
But his most entertaining, if not disturbing, time in front of the camera may have come on Monday when he struggled to explain the basic functions of the U.S. government.
Sheriff McFadden has made a name for himself by opposing ICE. Soon after taking over as the county’s top cop in 2018, McFadden announced he would no longer cooperate with the federal agency under the 287(g) program. This allows local law enforcement to receive funding to help with immigration enforcement.
“I don’t think you can make someplace safer when you are in fear … of deportation,” he told CNN last October. He has since said he will work with ICE because a new state law requires it. His general antipathy toward the agency culminated in a hearing Monday that exposed his ignorance.
“What branch of government do you operate under,” Republican Rep. Allen Chesser asked the sheriff.
“Mecklenburg County,” the sheriff responded.
“What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff,” Chesser, a former police officer himself, asked again.
After McFadden answered that he served under the “Constitution of the United States,” Chesser tried to throw him a lifeline.
“For the sake of debate, let’s say there are three branches of government: legislative, executive, judicial,” Chesser asked, after McFadden admitted to not knowing how many branches of government there are. “Of those three, which do you fall under?”
“I believe I fall under the last one … judicial,” the sheriff said.
“You are incorrect, sir. You fall under the executive,” the Republican politician responded. (Part of the confusion may come from that the sheriff’s office oversees court security).
Chesser later told Fox News that “I was not expecting to have to get into a fifth-grade civics lesson with a duly elected sheriff.”
Lawmakers have since followed up with a demand for more information from McFadden on how he cooperates with ICE, according to NBC News.
The Mecklenburg County GOP also called for his resignation, saying the embarrassing exchange, “demonstrates the current sheriff’s total lack of accountability, competence and respect for the citizens of Mecklenburg County.”
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