Editing Alamance County, North Carolina (section)

===21st century===
Alamance County's population has grown significantly, with the city of [[Mebane, North Carolina|Mebane]] tripling in size between 1990 and 2020. The county has seen significant business and industry growth, including the additions of the North Carolina Commerce Park and the North Carolina Industrial Center, as well as new retail opportunities near [[Interstate 85 in North Carolina|Interstates 85]] and [[Interstate 40 in North Carolina|40]] on the eastern (Tanger Outlets) and western (University Commons and Alamance Crossing) sides of the county.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Economic Development|url=https://www.cityofmebane.com/business/resources/economic_development|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=www.cityofmebane.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

Some growth has been attributed to illegal immigration, which has led to ongoing legal issues. In 2012, the Department of Justice found the Alamance County Sheriff's Office to use discriminatory policing,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-releases-investigative-findings-alamance-county-nc-sheriff-s-office|title=Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings on the Alamance County, N.C., Sheriff's Office|date=September 18, 2012}}</ref> however the case was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge [[Thomas D. Schroeder]], finding that the government failed to demonstrate that the ACSO had engaged in discriminatory policing.<ref>{{Cite web|last=sarah.williamson@greensboro.com|first=Sarah Newell Williamson|title=U.S. District Court judge dismisses lawsuit against Alamance County sheriff|url=https://greensboro.com/news/u-s-district-court-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-against-alamance-county-sheriff/article_c06a1d4e-c214-5a9d-9fed-8776b28c00bd.html|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Greensboro News and Record|language=en}}</ref>

Beginning in 2014, the county has been home to a number of political demonstrations.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 25, 2019|title=9 arrested while protesting Alamance County's contract with ICE, organizers say|url=https://myfox8.com/news/9-arrested-while-protesting-alamance-countys-contract-with-ice-organizers-says/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=myfox8.com|language=en-US}}</ref>  In October 2020, during a demonstration prior to the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Alamance County sheriff's deputies and Graham police used pepper spray against crowd members.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/article246861942.html| title = Reference at www.newsobserver.com}}</ref> Law enforcement reported that pepper spray had been deployed to disperse the crowd following an assault on an officer who was trying to shut down a generator the march organizers had brought, in violation of a signed agreement.<ref>{{Cite web|last=WRAL|date=November 2, 2020|title=Alamance sheriff's office: Gas can, generator created danger during march to polls|url=https://www.wral.com/alamance-sheriff-explains-pepper-spray-response-to-disperse-crowd-during-weekend-march-to-polls/19367378/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=WRAL.com|language=en}}</ref>