Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a new partnership program that would allow local law enforcement officers to start arresting or detaining immigrants on behalf of federal officials, even if state or local policies forbid them from doing so. In a press release, the agency said the “enhanced cooperation” Warrant Service Officer program was created so that local officials could “honor immigration detainers” despite rules on the state or local level that “limit cooperation with the agency.” The program would give ICE 48 hours to transfer the detainees from local to federal custody once they’ve been apprehended by local officials. If the detainees are not transferred within that timeframe, they have to be released. “This program gives sheriffs the legal support to help federal law enforcement keep dangerous criminal illegal aliens out of their communities,” National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson wrote in the release. “It will not only decrease sheriff’s liability but will give them the proper training to enforce the law.”
