As Sheriffs Quit ICE, Joe Biden Can Lead the Way in Restoring Trust
This month, two newly-elected sheriffs canceled contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The sheriffs in Gwinnett County, Georgia and Charleston County, South Carolina were in November in part due to their campaign pledges to stop doing ICE鈥檚 bidding under a program known as 287(g). Voters in Cobb County, Georgia, also replaced a sheriff who conspired with ICE with an opponent of the 287(g) program.
These election results came after a multiracial coalition of organizations worked to build community power, elevate the voices of immigrants, and publicize the harms of a program that leads to , including , and .
The 287(g) program compels local law enforcement agencies to conduct federal immigration enforcement, including interrogating people in jails about their immigration status and initiating the deportation process. But all too often it ends up that immigrants from reporting crimes, seeking protection, or serving as witnesses for fear that the very agencies meant to protect them may instead try to deport them.
Law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements waste millions of local tax dollars on federal enforcement all while undercutting their safety mission by destroying community-law enforcement relationships and diverting attention from local priorities. As Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Sheriff Garry McFadden when he ended the county鈥檚 agreement, 287(g) 鈥渆rodes trust with our community and ties up critical resources that should be used to ensure public safety," and Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano the program as 鈥渓egal racial profiling.鈥�
The program has created a climate of fear, as immigrants who live in 287(g) jurisdictions could end up in deportation proceedings for such 鈥渙ffenses鈥� as or . Many residents also report that they have been profiled while driving because of their race or appearance, pulled over by police pretextually 鈥� for traffic violations or no reason at all 鈥� so that police can question their immigration status.
All too often, they are left in the custody of sheriffs with egregious track records. Gwinnett County, which had 287(g) program in the country, had to pay millions in settlements after a pattern of sheriff deputies was revealed. The previous sheriff of Cobb County, who was the in Georgia to sign a 287(g) agreement, while in office; meanwhile, the former sheriff of Charleston County, the largest county in South Carolina to have a 287(g) agreement, was once a detained individual.
Sheriffs , but these sheriffs or their hand-picked successors all lost running on a pro-ICE platform, with voters resoundingly rejecting their anti-immigrant policies. Other jurisdictions that ended their contracts in recent years include Mecklenburg and Wake counties, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Harris County, Texas; Anne Arundel County, Maryland; and Prince William County, Virginia.
While this program preceded Donald Trump, it exploded under his leadership, as former Attorneys General Bill Barr and and pressured sheriffs to join. The Trump administration even made these contracts worse by and into local law enforcement agencies, looking the other way in instances of abuse or, in Trump鈥檚 case, . Other sheriffs, including those who they oppose working with ICE, believed that state laws such as Florida鈥檚 forced them to sign ICE agreements against their better judgement.
These agreements are not the only ways localities force immigrants into the deportation system, as many honor ICE detainers, or requests that local jails prolong a person鈥檚 detention past their scheduled release date so they can be detained by ICE, without a 287(g) agreement in place.
As President-elect Biden takes office, he can move to protect civil rights, public safety, and the country鈥檚 moral fabric by fulfilling his 鈥渆nd all鈥� the 287(g) agreements entered into by the Trump administration and rolling back harmful immigration practices, .
Termination of the program would also align with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris鈥� that 287(g) agreements weaken 鈥渢rust between law enforcement and those they serve鈥� and her vows to 鈥渆nd this program.鈥� As California Attorney General, she also urged local agencies not to honor ICE detainers, that as a district attorney she worked with undocumented victims of crime who feared 鈥渢hey would be treated as the criminal鈥� if they went to the police for help.
The , fueled by 287(g) agreements, has destroyed families, ruined lives, and . President-elect Biden should listen to the communities, advocates, and law enforcement officials who believe that 287(g) undermines our safety and our values and make good on his pledge to bring the program to its end.
