The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department announced a new plan that will allow ICE agents into the jails to interview illegal aliens and immigrants considered as serious public safety threats for possible deportation.
Under this plan the county will allow ICE to interview and take into custody any illegal aliens or immigrants inside the jail that are considered serious offenders. The inmates will not be held after their scheduled release date and while the agents have access to the jails, they don’t have a permanent office there.
Last year many, California counties refused to honor ICE detainment requests for fear of a lawsuit. Now counties such as San Diego and San Bernardino are notifying ICE when serious criminals sought by the agency are being released and can be picked up deportation officers.
This shift comes after the high profile murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by an illegal alien. Her death received national attention prompting more cooperation between local authorities and ICE.
Other counties across the country have been creating new rules and regulations on how to cooperate with ICE on detaining and deporting serious criminal offenders. “Now, more than half of the roughly 340 jurisdictions that previously declined to cooperate with ICE are doing so in some form”, said Marsha Catron, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Read more at ABC News.
