Latest news with #IntergovernmentalServiceAgreements
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump immigration enforcement hampered by detention capacity, Florida sheriff warns
A Florida sheriff said law enforcement is 'waiting at go' to assist the Trump administration with immigration enforcement, but worries about the lack of detention capacity. Fox News Digital spoke with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on the current status of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Advertisement 'We heard President Trump loud and clear when he said start with the worst first, and let's get these illegal aliens out of the country,' Judd said. However, the sheriff pointed to a significant bottleneck: the lack of federal capacity to detain migrants, and that, despite arrests, 'they're turned [migrants] back into the street' due to ICE's limited resources. Judd pointed to the lack of holding facilities and the complications arising from federal rules, which generally prevent local jails from holding migrants for more than 48 hours after their release from local custody unless the jails have Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) that allow for longer detention under federal authority. 3 Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd pointed to a lack of federal capacity to detain migrants for haults in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Fox News Advertisement 'You see, county jails can hold them [migrants] short term if we have accompanying criminal charges, but we can't hold them long term,' he said. 'We're more than willing to do that with the federal government once the federal government recognizes that we're helping them — they're not helping us.' The need for additional detention space and resources came as the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) became the first in the nation to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) agreement, which authorizes designated state officers to enforce immigration law in partnership with federal agents. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the initiative is already delivering results and believes it could serve as a blueprint for other states seeking to take immigration enforcement into their own hands. 3 'We heard President Trump loud and clear when he said start with the worst first, and let's get these illegal aliens out of the country,' Judd said. REUTERS Advertisement Judd called for federal executive action, saying, 'The president is the only one that can break this logjam.' The Sunshine State, he said, is prepared to execute practical solutions, such as setting up temporary 'soft side housing' for detainees, modeled after hurricane emergency shelters. 'We're eager to make it happen. We're sitting on go,' he said, while criticizing the lack of support. 'The federal government doesn't have the infrastructure to hold them, nor are they willing to pay when we offer the infrastructure.' 3 People place white carnation flowers on the fence of the Krome Detention Center during a vigil protesting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and mass deportations in Miami. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Judd defended ICE personnel, acknowledging their efforts despite what he describes as inherited limitations from the previous Biden administration. 'But they are limited,' he said. 'They're severely limited because they're operating with the resources that the Biden administration left them with. And the Biden administration wasn't into deporting people. They were into importing people.' The sheriff said stricter detention policies will serve as a deterrent for migrants. 'We've got to stop the game playing, and only the federal government can do it,' he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump immigration enforcement hampered by detention capacity, Florida sheriff warns
A Florida sheriff said law enforcement is "waiting at go" to assist the Trump administration with immigration enforcement, but worries about the lack of detention capacity. Fox News Digital spoke with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on the current status of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "We heard President Trump loud and clear when he said start with the worst first, and let's get these illegal aliens out of the country," Judd said. However, the sheriff pointed to a significant bottleneck: the lack of federal capacity to detain migrants, and that, despite arrests, "they're turned [migrants] back into the street" due to ICE's limited resources. Ice Forced To Release Some Illegal Migrants Who Could Pose Danger To Americans: Immigration Attorney Judd pointed to the lack of holding facilities and the complications arising from federal rules, which generally prevent local jails from holding migrants for more than 48 hours after their release from local custody unless the jails have Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) that allow for longer detention under federal authority. Read On The Fox News App "You see, county jails can hold them [migrants] short term if we have accompanying criminal charges, but we can't hold them long term," he said. "We're more than willing to do that with the federal government once the federal government recognizes that we're helping them — they're not helping us." WATCH: Ice Makes Major Move On Detaining Illegal Immigrants In Heart Of Blue State The need for additional detention space and resources came as the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) became the first in the nation to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) agreement, which authorizes designated state officers to enforce immigration law in partnership with federal agents. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the initiative is already delivering results and believes it could serve as a blueprint for other states seeking to take immigration enforcement into their own hands. Judd called for federal executive action, saying, "The president is the only one that can break this logjam." The Sunshine State, he said, is prepared to execute practical solutions, such as setting up temporary "soft side housing" for detainees, modeled after hurricane emergency shelters. "We're eager to make it happen. We're sitting on go," he said, while criticizing the lack of support. "The federal government doesn't have the infrastructure to hold them, nor are they willing to pay when we offer the infrastructure." Judd defended ICE personnel, acknowledging their efforts despite what he describes as inherited limitations from the previous Biden administration. "But they are limited," he said. "They're severely limited because they're operating with the resources that the Biden administration left them with. And the Biden administration wasn't into deporting people. They were into importing people." The sheriff said stricter detention policies will serve as a deterrent for migrants. "We've got to stop the game playing, and only the federal government can do it," he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment. Fox News' Danamarie McNicholl contributed to this article source: Trump immigration enforcement hampered by detention capacity, Florida sheriff warns
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A compromise worth supporting on immigration enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in an August 2019 worksite raid in Canton, Mississippi. (Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement.) Maryland House Bill 1222,Public Safety – Immigration Enforcement (Maryland Values Act), is a compromise worth supporting. It satisfies the need to remove some violent offenders from our country while at the same time recognizing the harm that can be done by including state and local law enforcement in an overzealous enforcement of federal immigration laws. This bill clarifies the involvement of state and local law enforcement and correctional facilities in three ways: by requiring the detention and transfer of undocumented individuals to federal immigration authorities under certain circumstances; by restricting local jurisdictions from entering into certain immigration enforcement agreements; and by restricting current agreements any jurisdiction may currently have in place: 'jurisdictions with an existing immigration enforcement agreement shall exercise the termination provision contained in the immigration enforcement agreement not later than July 1, 2025.' Similar contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants in local jails, Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs), were ended in Maryland through the Dignity Not Detention Act in 2021. Though there are 64 sponsors of the bill in the House of Delegates, there will undoubtedly be opposition from those citing a recent poll that found 75.7 % of Marylanders 'in support of requiring local officials in Maryland to cooperate with federal law enforcement agents in their effort to arrest and deport aliens in Maryland who have committed crimes.' Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. Under this proposal, those convicted of a violent crime who are 'not lawfully present in the United States shall be detained for up to 48 hours and transferred to federal immigration authorities.' While this proposed legislation would preserve a working relationship with federal immigration enforcement in certain circumstances, it would eliminate the controversial 287 (g) program agreements with ICE. Currently these agreements exist in Frederick, Harford and Cecil Counties. Anne Arundel county dropped out of their 287 (g) agreement in 2018 after one year. 287(g) is a provision of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 that added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 287(g) delegates to local law enforcement the authority to perform certain immigration enforcement functions. The harm done to local police and their relationship with the communities they protect and serve far outweighs any benefit derived from 287(g). The 287(g) program is antithetical to the philosophy of community policing, undermining trust between police officers and neighborhoods in the communities where that trust is most needed to build collaborative partnerships. In Frederick County, we have experienced the negative effects of 287(g) ranging from racial profiling and discrimination to harassment, illegal stops, arrests and detainment that have led to two civil actions against the county, both of which found racial profiling and unlawful detainment had taken place: Santos v Frederick County Commissioners and Medrano v Jenkins. 287(g) has produced a negative image of our community. It has attracted protests against the program and produced divisiveness as it undermined trust in law enforcement over this issue. Professional leaders in major local law enforcement agencies have denounced local law enforcement involvement in 287(g), including those in organizations taking specific positions against the enforcement of immigration laws by local law enforcement: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities/Counties Chiefs Association, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the Police Foundation. For years now, Marylanders from across the state have testified in the General Assembly as to why our state should not continue to participate in the 287(g)program. This proposed legislation will not satisfy those demanding draconian measures to round up and deport every undocumented person regardless of their circumstance or how long they have been in the United States. It will also fail to provide every possible protection to those who have been productive members of our communities, sometimes for a decade or more, yet lack proper documentation. In this proposal, both sides get something they want but neither gets all they want. This is an opportunity to show that in an important issue the art of compromise in Maryland politics is not a lost art.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A compromise worth supporting on immigration enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in an August 2019 worksite raid in Canton, Mississippi. (Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement.) Maryland House Bill 1222,Public Safety – Immigration Enforcement (Maryland Values Act), is a compromise worth supporting. It satisfies the need to remove some violent offenders from our country while at the same time recognizing the harm that can be done by including state and local law enforcement in an overzealous enforcement of federal immigration laws. This bill clarifies the involvement of state and local law enforcement and correctional facilities in three ways: by requiring the detention and transfer of undocumented individuals to federal immigration authorities under certain circumstances; by restricting local jurisdictions from entering into certain immigration enforcement agreements; and by restricting current agreements any jurisdiction may currently have in place: 'jurisdictions with an existing immigration enforcement agreement shall exercise the termination provision contained in the immigration enforcement agreement not later than July 1, 2025.' Similar contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants in local jails, Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs), were ended in Maryland through the Dignity Not Detention Act in 2021. Though there are 64 sponsors of the bill in the House of Delegates, there will undoubtedly be opposition from those citing a recent poll that found 75.7 % of Marylanders 'in support of requiring local officials in Maryland to cooperate with federal law enforcement agents in their effort to arrest and deport aliens in Maryland who have committed crimes.' Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. Under this proposal, those convicted of a violent crime who are 'not lawfully present in the United States shall be detained for up to 48 hours and transferred to federal immigration authorities.' While this proposed legislation would preserve a working relationship with federal immigration enforcement in certain circumstances, it would eliminate the controversial 287 (g) program agreements with ICE. Currently these agreements exist in Frederick, Harford and Cecil Counties. Anne Arundel county dropped out of their 287 (g) agreement in 2018 after one year. 287(g) is a provision of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 that added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 287(g) delegates to local law enforcement the authority to perform certain immigration enforcement functions. The harm done to local police and their relationship with the communities they protect and serve far outweighs any benefit derived from 287(g). The 287(g) program is antithetical to the philosophy of community policing, undermining trust between police officers and neighborhoods in the communities where that trust is most needed to build collaborative partnerships. In Frederick County, we have experienced the negative effects of 287(g) ranging from racial profiling and discrimination to harassment, illegal stops, arrests and detainment that have led to two civil actions against the county, both of which found racial profiling and unlawful detainment had taken place: Santos v Frederick County Commissioners and Medrano v Jenkins. 287(g) has produced a negative image of our community. It has attracted protests against the program and produced divisiveness as it undermined trust in law enforcement over this issue. Professional leaders in major local law enforcement agencies have denounced local law enforcement involvement in 287(g), including those in organizations taking specific positions against the enforcement of immigration laws by local law enforcement: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities/Counties Chiefs Association, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the Police Foundation. For years now, Marylanders from across the state have testified in the General Assembly as to why our state should not continue to participate in the 287(g)program. This proposed legislation will not satisfy those demanding draconian measures to round up and deport every undocumented person regardless of their circumstance or how long they have been in the United States. It will also fail to provide every possible protection to those who have been productive members of our communities, sometimes for a decade or more, yet lack proper documentation. In this proposal, both sides get something they want but neither gets all they want. This is an opportunity to show that in an important issue the art of compromise in Maryland politics is not a lost art.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico again considers ban on immigrant detention
Jessica Inez Martinez (right), director of policy and coalition building for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, departs from the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Feb. 18, 2025 after the committee approved a bill to ban state and local governments in New Mexico from collaborating with the federal government to do immigrant detention. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) A proposal to ban state and local governments in New Mexico from collaborating with the federal government to do immigrant detention passed its first committee on Tuesday afternoon. The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday afternoon voted 4-2 to pass House Bill 9, known as the Immigrant Safety Act. The legislation would prohibit state agencies and local governments from entering into agreements used to detain people for violations of civil immigration law, and would require any existing agreements to end as soon as possible. It doesn't affect enforcement of criminal law. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is holding approximately 1,500 people inside the three immigration detention centers in New Mexico, said Sophia Genovese, asylum and detention managing attorney with the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center and an expert on the bill. 'We have the power to hold the line in New Mexico and not let the Trump administration and ICE use our state as a laboratory for cruelty,' said Jessica Inez Martinez, director of policy and coalition building for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, and another expert on the bill. The proposal comes as conservative cities and states increase cooperation with the federal government's deportation plans. Reps. Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) and Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) are sponsoring HB 9. Chávez told the committee on Tuesday she is concerned that the federal government is using New Mexico counties as 'pass-throughs' and 'shields' in a scheme to detain immigrants. She said rather than directly hiring the private prison corporations, ICE enters into contracts with New Mexico counties, who turn around and subcontract with the companies to run the detention centers under documents called Intergovernmental Service Agreements. ICE does this in order to avoid the Competition in Contracting Act, Chávez said, which requires the federal government to competitively select contractors. 'Agreements with local public entities like New Mexico's counties create a loophole through the competition and transparency that is otherwise required in federal contracts,' she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Democratic senators have twice joined Republicans to reject similar legislation last year and the year before, in starkly different political climates. HB 9 would also prevent any local government from passing an ordinance that would contradict the law. It would give the New Mexico Attorney General and local district attorneys the authority to enforce the law through a civil lawsuit. Federal oversight officials in 2022 told ICE to move everyone out of the Torrance County detention center in Estancia after finding conditions inside to be unsafe and unsanitary. ICE responded less than a month later by moving even more people into the detention center. That August, a Brazilian asylum seeker named Kesley Vial died by suicide while being held in Torrance. If not for systemic failures in medical and mental health care, almost all of the people who died in immigration detention in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021 could still be alive today, according to a report released last summer. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
