ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer has released a statement regarding nationwide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

In the statement posted to the mayor’s social media profiles on Monday, Jan. 12, Manheimer criticizes federal immigration raids and emphasizes community trust.

“The Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Commissioners issued a joint letter that makes our values clear: our local government and police exist to serve and protect everyone who lives here, not to act as an arm of ICE. We do not ask people about their immigration status, and we do not, and will not, participate in civil immigration enforcement,” the statement reads, in part.

HUNDREDS PROTEST IN ASHEVILLE AFTER ICE AGENT FATALLY SHOOTS WOMAN IN MINNESOTA

The mayor argues that ongoing immigration raids undermine public safety and discourage residents from seeking help or reporting crimes.

Manheimer also criticizes what she calls a “reckless, fear-driven approach to immigration enforcement” from the federal government, calling for collaboration rather than overreach.

“If federal leaders were serious about public safety, they would work with cities, not against them, and stop spreading fear, misinformation, and division,” she said in the statement.

Manheimer’s statement concludes with a reaffirmation of Asheville’s dedication to due process, community and “standing together.”

“We will not let federal overreach and political theater put our residents in danger,” the statement reads.

The mayor’s statement comes after the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed in her car by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After Good’s killing, the Trump administration defended the shooting, claiming the ICE officer acted out of self-defense. Officials in Minnesota, as well as witnesses to the shooting, have denounced these claims. The investigation into the fatal shooting is ongoing.

ASHEVILLE ‘MAY BE A TARGETED CITY’ OF ICE, BORDER PATROL, MAYOR SAID

On Nov. 14, 2025, Manheimer released a statement amid the deployment of ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in several major North Carolina cities.

In the statement, Manheimer referred to North Carolina Governor Josh Stein’s comments about ICE and Border Protection, saying she “stand[s] with the governor in his strong statement in support of all of our civil rights.” The Asheville mayor added that Asheville “may be a targeted city.”

Stein and Manheimer both emphasized a unified commitment to peace and respect for the rule of law, while also denouncing recent federal immigration raids.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ISSUES STATEMENT AMID ICE, BORDER PATROL, CONCERNS

On Nov. 15, 2025, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it had not received any official word about planned immigration operations in Asheville or Buncombe County.

“While we will follow state and federal law as required, our resources will remain dedicated to protecting the public safety of Buncombe County, as they have always been. We cannot and will not use county resources to subsidize the enforcement of civil immigration violations,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.