IMMIGRATION: San Bernardino County sheriff renews 287g agreement

San Bernardino County has renewed an agreement with the federal government for a program aimed at identifying jail inmates who are in the country illegally. County supervisors Tuesday approved the new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with no debate. San Bernardino County is one of about three dozen departments nationwide that participate in ICE’s 287g program, and under which ICE trains sheriff’s deputies and other employees on how to determine whether inmates may be in the country illegally. ICE agents then make further queries. Inmates found to be living in the country illegally are held for possible deportation after they leave jail. A number of immigrant-rights and Latino organizations oppose 287g, cheap saying it singles out Latinos for questioning and leads the deportation of minor offenders and people arrested but not convicted of crimes.

Tennessee Sheriff Threatens To Stack Immigrants ‘Like Cordwood’ In Jail | ThinkProgress

Even after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rejected Knox County, Tennessee’s request to participate in a controversial immigration program, Sheriff JJ Jones vowed to take immigration enforcement into his own hands. In a response to ICE’s denial, Jones threatened to stack undocumented immigrants “like cordwood” in the local jail. ICE sent a letter to Jones’ office stating that the federal government is unable to authorize Knox County because of “resource concerns, including the impacts of sequestration.” But Jones sharply rebuked the government’s denial to allow Knox County to participate in the 287(g) program which would allow local authorities to enforce federal immigration laws.

Knox County sheriff criticizes 287(g) denial

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the federal government’s decision to deny the county’s application for the 287(g) immigration program. The agreement would have allowed the sheriff’s department to participate in a program called 287(g), which would train deputies to enforce immigration laws. It would allow deputies to scrutinize the immigration status of people arrested and held in jail. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent a letter to the sheriff’s office within the past week, rejecting the application, and explaining it was denied because of resource concerns. Sheriff Jones issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the government for the decision, and pledging to continue enforcing immigration laws:

Immigration advocates respond to Sheriff Jones’ 287(g) statement | wbir.com

Several immigrant-advocacy groups have now responded to a pointed statement from Knox County Sheriff J.J. Jones Wednesday morning, vowing to enforce federal immigration laws. "We feel disappointed of his poor choice of words," said Kukuly Uriarte, an immigrant living in Knoxville and advocate for immigration reform. After a year of limited statements about 287(g), Sheriff Jones published his opinion on his website Wednesday morning. The note followed a decision from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, which did not approve the county’s application for the program. ICE cited "resource concerns," including the sequester, as the reason for denying Knox County’s application. "Once again, the federal government has used sequestration as a smokescreen to shirk its responsibilities for providing safety and security to its citizens by denying Knox County the 287(g) corrections model," the sheriff wrote on his website.

VICTORY! ICE denies Knox County 287(g) agreement – Blog – TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition – TIRRC

Last year, Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones of Knox County announced he would be pursuing a 287(g) agreement–deputizing local sheriff’s deputies as federal immigration agents. For the last year, immigrant community leaders and allies have been tirelessly organizing and advocating against the program. And we did it! We just got confirmation that ICE will not be signing the 287(g) agreement in Knoxville (see notice below).  This victory comes after a year of powerful rallies and marches, fearless civil disobedience, and strong grassroots advocacy. It also comes on the heels of the termination of the program in Davidson County, a program finally abandoned after a 5-year community campaign. Read more about the fight against 287(g) in Knox County here. See the letter we submitted to DHS just a few weeks before the notice was given to Sheriff J.J. Jones here. 

Study Says 287(g) Program Is Counterproductive

A new study revealed that a program that was once intended to protect Davidson County against acts of terrorism was counterproductive. The study released Wednesday was conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and it focuses on the consequences of the 287(g) program. The 287(g) program was once used by the Davidson County Sheriff’s department to enforce immigration law and allow deputies to check the immigration status of anyone brought to the jail. The report alleges that it leads to immigrants being treated differently, and to be detained often for minor infractions. According to the new study, the program makes immigrants lose trust in public safety. The study said the majority of people arrested were racially profiled and deported for minor traffic offenses.

Prince William’s 287 (g) Immigration Program Continues at Jail – PotomacLocal.com

A program that investigates the legal status of arrested illegal immigrants in Prince William County will remain in place at least through June. The jurisdiction is the only one in the U.S. to keep the 287 (g) program following efforts to cut the program in October, said Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (At-Large). The program uses trained jail personnel at the county’s Adult Detention Center in Manassas to investigate the immigration status of illegal aliens charged with crimes. The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which administers the program, looked to scale back the 287 (g) program in October. Officials in a letter told Prince William County Sheriff Glen Hill the program would be placed under review until Dec. 31. With this latest decision, the trained staff will continue to work on the program and be funded by Prince William taxpayers while working under the direction of federal customs enforcement. “This is perhaps the most

A phase-out for 287(g) immigration enforcement partnerships

A part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) enforcement program is coming to an end. It’s become less relevant as the federal government rolls out the broader – and cheaper – Se Communities program around the country. It’s not being scrapped entirely, at least not yet. But there’s a possibility that the agency could phase out more 287(g) contracts with local agencies, including in California, in the months ahead. Last week, in an ICE memo announcing another record year of deportations, the agency also announced that it would not renew any of its agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies operating 287(g) task forces. These are federal-local partnerships under which local cops receive immigration enforcement training from ICE and are authorized to carry out related duties, including immigration status checks. On Dec. 31, 287(g) contracts will expire for 25 local law enforcement agencies around the country. So far, that doesn’t affect any…

ACLU Florida urges U.S. leaders to end 287(g) deportation program Collier uses » marconews.com Mobile

In a letter to state-based politicians Friday, the ACLU of Florida urged an end to a controversial immigration enforcement policy in which Collier County participates. Under scrutiny is the 287(g) policy, set to expire at year’s end, that allows local police to act as immigration enforcers. The program “does not belong anywhere in Florida,” said Howard Simon, ACLU of Florida executive director, in a letter to Florida’s U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat, along with outgoing Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, and several other state and local officials. Rubio and Nelson weren’t immediately available for comment Friday; Mack’s office declined comment. The ACLU contends the policy leads to racial profiling and “generating fear and a marked mistrust of police among both documented and undocumented individuals in the Latino community.”

Feds Scaling Back 287g

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s application for the federal 287(g) program still is pending but could be placed on the back-burner due to a lack of funding. “We’ve got an application on file, but it’s still pending in Washington,” Sheriff Roger Garrison said. “But the Atlanta office told us that, currently, there’s not enough funding for new programs, so the application still is on file.” Garrison said he still hopes to be approved for the federal program, which is part of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The program gives state and local law enforcement the authority to perform functions of immigration law enforcement through an agreement. When it was first implemented, Garrison wasn’t interested in the program, because the county doesn’t have the capability to hold illegal immigrants for extended periods. It was through communications with another sheriff in North Carolina that Garrison found out that a clause can be added to the agreement that would require Immigration