Report: 13 Texas counties want to enforce immigration on their own



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More than a dozen Texas counties have asked to be included in a federal program that allows local law enforcement to be trained as immigration agents, the Texas Observer reported.

Section 287 (g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 allows local law enforcement authorization to perform duties an immigration officer would, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website.

"This authorizes the director of ICE to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of ICE officers," the ICE website states.

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The Texas Observer obtained a document from the American Civil Liberties Union that listed the following agencies:

Aransas County Sheriff's Office

Brazoria County Sheriff's Office

Calhoun County Sheriff's Office

Chambers County Sheriff's Office

DeWitt County Sheriff's Office

Galveston County Sheriff's Office

Goliad County Sheriff's Office

Lavaca County Sheriff's Office

Matagorda County Sheriff's Office

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

Refugio County Sheriff's Office

Walker County Sheriff's Office

Wharton County Sheriff's Office

The ACLU did not immediately return requests for confirmation on the counties involved.

"The 287(g) program has only managed to encourage racial profiling, divert indispensable resources away from public safety and corrode the trust between law enforcement and the communities it is sworn to protect," said Edgar Saldivar, ACLU attorney, in an email. "Counties have no obligation under federal law to enter into these voluntary programs that threaten the rights of vulnerable communities."

Saldivar said counties should reject using 287(g).

Currently, three Texas agencies are part of the program: the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the Carrollton Police Department.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5