Republican sheriffs in Maryland and Ohio have declared their support for President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plan for illegal immigrants.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Republican sheriffs in the said states have voiced their approval for Trump and his plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of Frederick County, Maryland, once dubbed among the nation's 10 toughest immigration sheriffs by Fox News, is one of the Republican sheriffs who publicly voiced their approval. The 68-year-old sheriff has long partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the controversial 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement to assist in identifying and detaining undocumented immigrants. (Related: Oklahoma governor pledges to help Trump with mass deportation of illegals.)
Throughout his sheriff career, Jenkins has defended the program as a deterrent against gangs and violent crime, claiming it has led to significant ICE detainees since 2008. He stated that he would support Trump in his mass deportation plans. "I'm willing to support the president 100 percent," said Jenkins. "I want to do more, within the law."
Meanwhile, Sheriff Richard Jones of Butler County, Ohio, echoed a similar statement. "Sure, I do," Jones said. "And so do the American people. People are tired of this." The sheriff also criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for halting immigration enforcement but expressed readiness to resume collaborating with ICE under the leadership of Trump.
"We're going to be in the business again," Jones said. "We have space available, and they're going to need space from day one." Jones also added that he plans to reopen space for up to 150 ICE detainees and restore pre-Biden practices, including hosting ICE agents and conducting immigration court hearings locally. "We actually had ICE agents that had offices here and we had hearings with immigration court for deportation. And we still have the setup. We're getting that back reinstated here."
Trump to grant local sheriffs enhanced powers to detain and deport illegal immigrants
The support from local sheriffs comes as Trump is reportedly planning to revitalize and expand the 287(g) program, a federal program that would grant local sheriffs enhanced powers to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
Under the proposed plan, local law enforcement deputies would be able to question and detain individuals suspected of being in the U.S. unlawfully, even during routine duties. This would go beyond the current scope of the program, which allows ICE to collaborate with state and local law enforcement to identify and deport "incarcerated criminal noncitizens" who are already in custody for other offenses. Trump seeks to reintroduce the previously phased-out "task force model" of the program, which permitted deputies to make immigration-related arrests.
Currently, about 135 local agencies across 21 states participate. Some counties, such as Rensselaer County in New York, have actively collaborated with ICE despite state-level sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Moreover, the Trump administration is considering financial incentives to encourage local jurisdictions to participate. This could turn federal funds currently allocated for migrant assistance programs to support sheriff departments that cooperate with ICE. Conversely, jurisdictions that resist could face reduced federal support.
"State and local cooperation is absolutely essential to detain and deport illegal immigrants on a historic scale," said RJ Hauman, the president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, which advocates for tougher enforcement tactics.
Head over to Trump.news for more stories about Donald Trump's plan to fix immigration.
Watch Tom Homan telling Veronika Kyrylenko of the New American magazine that the U.S. border is broken by design.
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