Knox County Sheriff explains increase in ICE hold numbers at detention facility
Spangler released a statement on how the sheriff's office is navigating illegal immigration on Tuesday. In this statement, Spangler explained that Knox County has removed many people with serious criminal records, making the area safer, but deputies are not actively seeking out immigrants who may be in the area illegally.
Bodycam footage released following man's death in Knox County custody
The men and women of the Knox County Sheriff's Office are not 'seeking out' individuals who may be here illegally. However if an undocumented individual commits a 'crime' and goes to jail, ICE will then investigate his/her immigration status. There has been a recent 'increase' in our ICE hold numbers- KCSO's Corrections Division has a contract to house inmates for ICE just as we do for the US Marshals. The recent increase in numbers is due to housing ICE inmates who are being transported from one location to another.
Tom Spangler, Knox County Sheriff
This statement came in response to the 'recent increase in immigration numbers at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility,' according to the press release.
As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, KCSO had four people on its '24 hours in custody list' who were listed as immigration detainees.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently announced proposals to address illegal immigration. This would involve creating a Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division.
East Tennessean recalls fallout of 2018 ICE raid as immigration enforcement ramps up
Some have expressed support for strengthened immigration measures such as House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) who said, 'We have illegal immigrants now throughout our country and throughout Tennessee, and we have to figure out how to make sure those folks who are here illegally are deported fairly, but that legal immigrants and U.S. citizens, that their rights are not infringed in any way.'
Others have expressed concerns such as Pedro Reyes of Morristown who witnessed a large ICE raid in 2018 and said, 'What we already went through damaged us for years. It harmed our economy. It harmed our people, and it harmed our kids.'
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