TO THE EDITOR
Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans approved Senate Bill 8 this past summer, which mandated county sheriff’s offices participate in the federal 287(g) program.
This program was introduced in 1996 as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. According to ICE.gov, it authorizes ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement functions to state and local law enforcement. The program operates in three ways according to the US Government’s website:
The jail enforcement model identifies and allows the removal of people with criminal or pending criminal charges that have been arrested by local law-enforcement.
The task force model, a force multiplier for law-enforcement agencies to enforce immigration authority alongside ICE during routine law enforcement activities. Put simply, this places a federal agent alongside a local sheriff to just check papers.
The warrant service officer program allows ICE to train, certify, and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative immigration warrants on individuals held in local jails.
Under Senate Bill 8, sheriff’s offices that operate county jails are required to enter into one of these agreements. They will also receive financial compensation ranging from $80,000 for counties with populations under 99,000 to $140,000 for counties with more than a million people. Some Texas counties have already participated in this program since 2020.
Laws like this do nothing but sow distrust of law enforcement in small communities and encourage racial biases against our Hispanic community. After the murder of Renee Good, a civilian observer in Minneapolis today, this law is likely to increase this problem.
All people should be able to trust their local law enforcement officers—especially in rural communities where reports of crime are typically handled by the local sheriff.
This is a short-sighted attempt to gain favor with Washington, D.C., and it sets a dangerous precedent for under reported crimes causing further suffering.
D.C. cut a $75 billion dollar check to ICE. They can run their own damn operations!
-Riley Rodriquez, Candidate for Texas Senate District 28.
