What We Know: The Greene County Sheriff’s Office has entered into a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
What It Means: The sheriff’s office signed onto ICE’s 287(g) program on September 24. The program allows trained local deputies to perform certain immigration enforcement duties under ICE supervision.
Former Sheriff Jim Arnott had previously questioned the need for the program, saying ICE officers were already available locally.
The sheriff’s office says participating deputies will receive online training. It says the goal is to help deputies deal more quickly with undocumented immigrants they encounter during their regular duties.
What’s Next: The department says it will not conduct immigration roundups. Deputies will also have some discretion when dealing with people who are not accused of other crimes.
(Photo provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security)