Several sheriffs in border states have made it clear that they will not be assisting with President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, despite hopes from his advisers. These sheriffs are publicly stating that they will not lift a finger to support such efforts.
According to a report in WIRED magazine on Tuesday, top immigration advisors of Trump, including Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, have been engaging in discussions with a number of far-right sheriffs who have shown a willingness to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the deportation of immigrants from the United States.
However, it is doubtful that this endeavor will gain momentum, primarily due to legal constraints and the fact that many sheriffs have expressed that they are already overwhelmed and unwilling to take on additional responsibilities.
ICE’s 287(g) program presently permits state and local law enforcement to partner with ICE in its mission “to safeguard the nation by apprehending and deporting noncitizens.”
Sheriffs themselves do not engage in the rounding up and detaining of undocumented immigrants. It’s important to note that no federal funding has been allocated to any sheriffs’ offices that provide assistance to ICE. This means that only 125 out of the 3,081 sheriff’s offices in the United States have chosen to participate.
Yuma County, Arizona Sheriff Leon Wilmot informed WIRED that the enforcement of immigration law falls beyond the jurisdiction of local police departments and sheriffs’ offices, as established by the Supreme Court.
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Wilmot firmly stated that immigration law is not within their realm of responsibility. They emphasized that if they had an interest in handling immigration matters, they would have pursued a career with Border Patrol.
Retired sheriff Tom Mack, who heads the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, has been spearheading the effort to enlist sheriffs in supporting the incoming administration. According to Mack, he has been in constant communication with Homan, discussing ways to increase sheriff participation in deportation efforts through voice and text messages.
Homan had made a previous pledge to establish a deportation force of unprecedented scale in the country. However, Wilmot dismissed Mack’s statements, stating that he is no longer an active sheriff and that he is promoting his own personal agenda.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, a Democrat, revealed to WIRED that he was not extended an invitation to an event hosted by Homan in his state last month, despite the fact that Hathaway’s jurisdiction encompasses some of the largest ports of entry in the country. Hathaway expressed his refusal to comply with any requests to assist the Trump administration in the deportation of immigrants, as it would adversely affect his reputation within the county.
“I won’t cooperate because the majority of the residents in my town, where my county is located, are Hispanic,” Hathaway stated firmly. “I refuse to go around checking the immigration status of every single person in my county. Doing so would only foster a sense of distrust between law enforcement and the entire community.”
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Some of Trump’s staunchest supporters in law enforcement are even defying calls to assist with mass deportations. Livingston County, Michigan Sheriff Mike Murphy, who previously hosted a pro-Trump rally in a building owned by the sheriff’s office, made it clear that he has no intention of using county resources to aid in federal immigration law enforcement.
Murphy emphasized that his primary focus as a police officer remains the safety and well-being of the community he serves. He firmly stated that despite any directives from the president, his priority will always be attending to immediate emergencies such as home invasions, accidents resulting in injuries, and ongoing investigations. Murphy made it clear that his commitment to his duties as a law enforcement officer takes precedence over any external demands.
Other sheriffs from border states who have voiced their opposition to assisting the Trump administration in rounding up migrants include Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez of Val Verde County, Texas, and Sheriff Ronny Dodson of Brewster County, Texas. Dodson expressed concerns that granting sheriffs the power to detain migrants could potentially violate county law enforcement protocols and put a strain on their operations.
Dodson expressed his defiance towards the government’s interference in his job, stating, “I won’t allow them to dictate my actions.”