When Will Biden Stop Giving Immigration Powers to Racist, Corrupt Sheriffs?
Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted Culpeper County, Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins for allegedly taking and large campaign donations in exchange for appointing people 鈥渁uxiliary deputy sheriffs鈥 and allowing them to carry concealed firearms without a permit. Another sheriff, Chuck Jenkins (no relation) of Frederick County, Maryland, was also recently for an alleged scheme that involved machine gun trafficking in exchange for political support in his re-election campaign.
These two sheriffs have more than just their names and reputed scandals in common: they both work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Despite the criminal charges and a record of civil rights violations, the Biden administration has chosen to continue partnering with the two sheriffs through an immigration enforcement program known as 287(g), which permits state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to exercise federal authorities that are usually reserved to ICE agents.
The program sounds technical, but its effect is devastatingly simple: Millions of our neighbors live in fear that if they interact with local law enforcement 鈥 even just seeking protection in urgent situations such as 鈥 they鈥檒l be turned over to ICE and deported from their families and the places they call home.
The two sheriffs are far from the only controversial law enforcement officials in the program. A 2022 老澳门开奖结果 report found that 65 percent of the Biden administration鈥檚 287(g) partners have records of racial profiling and other civil rights violations, while 59 percent have records of pushing anti-immigrant hate.
Some of these sheriffs have expressed their anti-immigrant beliefs as a core part of their jobs. In an interview in which he touted the 287(g) program and appeared in uniform, Jenkins (of Maryland) described immigration to the U.S. as 鈥渃hemical warfare against the United States,鈥 because 鈥渢he entire world hates this country, everybody around the world hates America, what we stand for, what we鈥檙e all about, the fabric of our society.鈥 He bragged about creating a 鈥渧irtual fence鈥 around his county through immigration enforcement 鈥 falsely contending that neighboring counties without the program are 鈥渙verwhelmed by illegals, a lot of criminals.鈥
The Biden administration can鈥檛 control local sheriffs 鈥 who are free to disagree with the Biden administration鈥檚 immigration policy and have the right to express their views.
But the federal government can, and must, refuse to grant federal immigration powers to individuals who use their platform to stoke hatred and fear of immigrants.
And the federal government should not fund law enforcement by those who violate the civil rights of people in our communities.
We鈥檝e seen and again that sheriffs who make anti-immigrant statements have condoned or even encouraged illegal racial profiling in the policing of their communities. A glaring example is Alamance County, North Carolina Sheriff Terry Johnson, a current 287(g) participant with a long history of racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric. A damning Justice Department civil rights investigation found that the sheriff fostered a that permeated the entire agency, and a pattern of discriminatory targeting of Latino people in arrests and detention. This prompted ICE to terminate the 287(g) partnership with the sheriff in 2012. But the Trump administration re-signed the sheriff onto the program 鈥 and the Biden administration has so far refused to terminate the agreement.
As a candidate, President Biden pledged to roll back 287(g) agreements initiated under Trump. More than two years into Biden鈥檚 term, the 287(g) program has only minorly shrunk from a peak of 152 partnerships under President Trump to .
Meanwhile, numerous have spoken out against the program even while many face political and legal attempts to compel their participation. They include Mecklenburg County, North Carolina鈥檚 Sheriff Garry McFadden, who believes 287(g) undermines public safety and the prerogative of local voters. The state legislature in has passed a law attempting to override local prerogatives and force sheriffs to apply to join the 287(g) program, while House Republicans in Congress have introduced that would require ICE to approve any partnership application 鈥 no matter how abusive the sheriff.
Without a Senate-confirmed ICE director, the 287(g) program鈥檚 fate largely lies with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He continues to face down impeachment threats by the Republican-controlled House, which may be (wrongly) stalling the ICE reform agenda.
White House interests are at stake. President Biden issued important executive orders that led to a new policy to address racial profiling. But there鈥檚 a total mismatch between these White House efforts and its inaction on the 287(g) program, which is a notorious vehicle for racial profiling.
The consequences for our neighbors and loved ones are stark. 鈥淚鈥檝e actually had clients who have told me that they when they had their first child because they were really worried,鈥 said local attorney Adriel Orozco, who co-wrote our complaint on 287(g) partner Alamance County.
It鈥檚 long past time for the Biden administration to stop empowering racist sheriffs 鈥 and do more to support civil rights and protections in our communities.