Washington County inks accords with ICE in contending with illegal immigration

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Utah's Washington County Sheriff's Office has signed agreements with ICE to enhance cooperation on contending with illegal immigration.
The cooperation comes under the parameters of the 287(g) program, revived under President Trump and focus of increasing interest around the country.
Agreements involve training of deputies to identify and process immigrants here illegally in cooperation with federal immigration officials.

ST. GEORGE — The Washington County Sheriff's Office has reached an accord with U.S. immigration officials to bolster cooperation in the jailing and pursuit of immigrants in the country illegally as part of President Donald Trump's heightened focus on illegal immigration.

At the same time, other law enforcement officials around Utah are also mulling participation in the 287(g) program operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the federal agency tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration law. Other agencies in 37 more U.S. states are also participating, with nearly 70% of the 287(g) agreements with ICE signed since Trump's inauguration to his second term as president on Jan. 20, according to ICE figures.

"It doesn't always make sense in every locale, but there's certainly some interest in it around the state," said Kane County Sheriff Tracy Glover, president of the Utah Sheriff's Association. The 287(g) program is transforming under Trump, prompting renewed interest among law enforcement agencies, and he's been involved in efforts with national law enforcement groups to tweak the language to make the initiative more appealing, he said.

Indeed, Executive Order 14159, signed by Trump on Jan. 20, spells out efforts to augment the use of 287(g). It calls on the Department of Homeland Security to bolster moves to authorize state and local law enforcement officials "to perform the functions of immigration officers in relation to the investigation, apprehension or detention of aliens in the United States" in cooperation with federal authorities.

Washington County Sheriff's Sgt. Lucas Alfred confirmed the county recently signed accords with ICE to take part in cooperative efforts, on March 21, according to ICE documents. But he didn't immediately have additional details about the terms of the arrangement. According to ICE, the sheriff's office has agreed to help the agency in identifying "removable aliens" in its jail and to assist in certain enforcement operations.

The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office in neighboring Wyoming also recently reached an accord to partner with ICE, issuing a statement Thursday announcing the plans. The sheriff's office has long cooperated with ICE, said deputy Jason Mower, and county leaders saw the opportunity for additional cooperation with Trump's moves to reinvigorate the 287(g) program.

"We've seen the effects of unfettered illegal immigration and unsecured borders. We've seen that firsthand right here in little old Wyoming," said Mower, referencing increased drug seizures and the 2022 rape of an 8-year-old girl in the county by a man who had already been deported two times. "So that is certainly part of our calculus in agreeing to cooperate and formalize our cooperation with ICE."

The map shows participation by state in ICE's 287(g) program, meant to bolster cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement in contending with illegal immigration. (Photo: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Under terms of the agreement related to jailing, two deputies serving in the jail will get specialized training from ICE in identifying inmates who may be in the country illegally and conveying the information to federal officials. If ICE then wants county officials to hold the suspect longer, Mower said, "we can serve that federal civil detainer," allowing for extended detention.

Under terms of an agreement on enforcement action, up to five patrol deputies will get specialized ICE training enabling them to handle a limited range of functions in processing suspected immigrants here illegally. Sweetwater County deputies wouldn't be involved in "immigration roundups," Mower said, but rather in identifying immigrants who may be here illegally that they come across in the normal course of their duties.

"It basically empowers us to help (ICE) out and get the process started in very limited and specific cases of illegal immigration and save them having to send people out and do it themselves," Mower said. The deputies would be working directly with ICE officials.

The Wyoming sheriff's office already had an agreement with ICE related to jailing and handling of immigrants subject to deportation.

While many law enforcement agencies around the country have already reached agreements with ICE in bolstering cooperation since Trump's inauguration, Glover said some entities in Utah first want more information about the nature of changes under Trump. Many seem interested, though.

The 287(g) program has "taken on a bit of a transformation lately with the new administration and so some sheriffs have kind of been waiting to see what the new contracts and agreements look like, how the language reads and things like that," Glover said. Under Trump, though, "there's no question that there's a renewed interest and drive to engage with us and try to reduce some of the hurdles that make it very difficult for us to work together."

Glover didn't see that sort of interest during the administration of President Joe Biden.

ICE "recognizes the importance of its relationships with state and local law enforcement partners," the agency said in a statement to KSL.com. The agency "will continue to partner with local stakeholders to coordinate and achieve the mission of ensuring national security and public safety."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.