When will Biden stop giving immigration powers to racist and corrupt sheriffs?

[ad_1]

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted Culpeper County, Va., Sheriff Scott Jenkins for allegedly accepting cash bribes and large campaign donations in exchange for appointing people as assistant sheriffs and allowing them to carry concealed firearms without a license. Another sheriff, Chuck Jenkins (no relation) of Frederick County, Maryland, was also recently indicted for an alleged scheme involving trafficking machine guns in exchange for political support in his re-election campaign.

These two sheriffs have more than their famous names and 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 to partner with the two sheriffs through an immigration enforcement program known as 287(g), which allows state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to exercise federal authorities that are typically reserved for ICE officers.

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, even to seek protection in emergencies such as domestic violence, they will be turned over to ICE and kicked out of their families and places where they call home.

The two sheriffs are far from the only controversial law enforcement officials on the program. A 2022 ACLU report found that 65% of Biden administration 287(g) partners have a history of racial profiling and other civil rights abuses, while 59% have a history of promoting anti-immigrant hate.

Some of these sheriffs have expressed their anti-immigrant beliefs as part of their job. In an interview in which he touted the 287(g) program and appeared in uniform, Jenkins (from Maryland) described immigration to the United States as chemical warfare against the United States, because the whole world hates this country, everyone in the world hates America, what we represent, what it used to be, the fabric of our society. He boasted of having created a virtual fence around his county through immigration enforcement, falsely claiming that neighboring counties without programs are overwhelmed with illegals, many criminals.

The Biden administration cannot control local sheriffs who are free to disagree with the Biden administration’s immigration policy and have the right to express their opinions.

But the federal government can and should refuse to grant federal immigration powers to people 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 have seen time and time again that sheriffs who make anti-immigrant statements have condoned or even encouraged unlawful racial profiling in policing their communities. A glaring example is Alamance County, North Carolina Sheriff Terry Johnson, a current 287(g) participant with a long history of racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. A damning Justice Department civil rights investigation found the sheriff fostered a culture of discrimination that permeated the entire agency and a pattern of discriminatory targeting of Latinos during arrests and detentions. This prompted ICE to end the 287(g) partnership with the Sheriff in 2012. But the Trump administration re-signed the Sheriff on the program and the Biden administration has so far refused to terminate the agreement.

As a candidate, President Biden has pledged to roll back the 287(g) agreements initiated under Trump. More than two years into Bidens’ term, the 287(g) program has declined only slightly, from a peak of 152 partnerships under President Trump to 137 partnerships.

Meanwhile, many law enforcement officials have spoken out against the program, although many face political and legal attempts to force them to participate. They include Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Sheriff Garry McFadden, who believes 287(g) undermines public safety and the prerogative of local voters. The Florida State Legislature passed legislation to override local prerogatives and require sheriffs to apply to join the 287(g) program, while House Republicans in Congress introduced legislation that would require ICE to approve any partnership application, no matter how abusive. the sheriff.

Without a Senate-confirmed ICE director, the fate of the 287(g) programs largely rests with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He continues to face impeachment threats from the Republican-controlled House, which could (wrongly) stall ICE’s reform agenda.

The interests of the White House are at stake. President Biden has issued important executive orders that have led to a new anti-racial profiling policy. But there is a complete disconnect 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 dramatic. In fact, I’ve had clients tell me they didn’t go to the hospital when they had their first child because they were really worried, said local attorney Adriel Orozco, who co-wrote our Alamance County 287(g) partner complaint.

It’s high time for the Biden administration to stop empowering racist sheriffs and do more to support civil rights and protections in our communities.

[ad_2]