This article examines the increasing role of local law enforcement, particularly county sheriffs, in the U.S. deportation system. It highlights the legal framework that allows for this involvement, the funding mechanisms that support it, and the potential for abuse of discretion.
Both Trump and Homan have indicated that local law enforcement would be involved in carrying out the mass-deportation plan. Ryan Zinke, a Republican representative for Montana, who served as Trump’s first Secretary of the Interior, declared, “The sheriffs know the bad characters.
” And there’s an advantage to the county sheriff in particular: nearly all of them are elected officers who are not beholden to other officials, even blue-state governors, many of whom have shown a willingness to work with Trump anyway. Because immigration is in the realm of federal law, the role of local law enforcement in policing the border has historically been limited. But, in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which expanded the criminal charges for which a person could be subject to deportation. As immigration became linked to criminal law, local law enforcement—especially county sheriffs, who enjoy relative autonomy free from direct oversight and have jurisdiction over much larger areas than, say, urban police departments—began to play a critical role in the deportation machine. In counties along the U.S. border, sheriffs receive funding, through a FEMA grant program called Operation Stonegarden, to purchase equipment such as snowmobiles and squad cars for use in conjunction with Border Patrol. Like all law-enforcement officers, sheriffs have a great deal of discretion in how they conduct traffic stops and arrests, which can bring more people into jail, where some deportations begin. (In county jails, most of which are run by sheriffs, arrestees submit to background checks and can be held or processed for deportation proceedings.) A program called Secure Communities, started by George W. Bush and expanded by the Obama Administration, identifies potentially deportable people in jail
Immigration Deportation Local Law Enforcement County Sheriffs Operation Stonegarden
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dallas County Sheriff: Law Enforcement Duties Limit Speed Enforcement on HighwaysA recent investigation by NBC 5 reveals a significant drop in speeding tickets issued by Dallas County Sheriff's Department deputies. The Sheriff cites other law enforcement duties and a decline in manpower as contributing factors.
Read more »
New Jersey drone sightings prompt local law enforcement to step up surveillanceMystery drone sightings continue to baffle New Jersey residents, government officials, and law enforcement.
Read more »
FAA Drone Database Remains Unavailable to Local Law Enforcement Amid Surge in SightingsDespite requiring drones to have Remote ID technology for a year, the FAA hasn't provided local law enforcement with access to a database that could identify the source of suspicious drone activity.
Read more »
Supervisors vote to block San Diego County agencies from helping ICE deliver on mass deportationsThe vote closed a loophole in state law that — in some circumstances — still allowed local law enforcement to hand people over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Read more »
Washington County law enforcement assists in human trafficking sting; 3 arrestedAs part of a sting operation targeting individuals involved in the purchase of commercial sex and human trafficking, three men were arrested in November and now face multiple charges.
Read more »
UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City, law enforcement official saysThe CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, a law enforcement official tells CNN.
Read more »