Texas sheriffs are now required to work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by serving federal immigration warrants at local jails, as per Senate Bill 8 on that was passed on May 24, and that includes Hockley County.
Reports show that Texas has a growing number of sheriff’s offices signing ICE with around 234 of 254 counties participating.
As of Dec. 1, the bill mandates all sheriffs in the state to request partnerships Department of Homeland/ ICE, known as 287(g) agreements, to authorize designated deputies to perform certain types of immigration enforcement in jails, including allowing officers to question inmates about their immigration status, with a focus on the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM). Financial assistance will be available for counties with populations under 1 million in the form of grants to help with costs.
Many smaller population counties in the area such as Hockley, Gaines, Hale and Lamb are opting for the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program, preferring shorter training and certification. Lubbock County signed on for the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM).
There are three different primary 287(g) program models including the Jail Enforcement Model which is designed to identity and process removable aliens with criminal or pending criminal charges who are arrest by state or local law enforcement; the Task Force Model (TFM) serves a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during routine duties; and the Warrant Service Model, which allows ICE to train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement to serve and execute administrative warrants on aliens in their jails.
Participation in the 287(g) program is limited to law enforcement agencies who nominate officers to participate. Nominees must be a U.S. citizen, pass a background check and have knowledge of is limited to LEAs only. LEAs interested in participating in the 287(g) Program must sign an MOA with ICE. LEAs will nominate officers to participate in the 287(g) Program. Nominees must possess U.S. citizenship, complete and pass a background investigation, and have knowledge of and have enforced laws and regulations related to law enforcement activities at their jurisdictions. Nominees will receive training at the expense of ICE related to the pertinent immigration duties. As of Dec. 18, ICE has signed 1,255 agreements for programs covering 40 states.
These include JEM agreements with 144 law enforcement agencies in 31 states, WSO agreements with 442 law enforcement agencies in 35 states, and TFM agreements with 669 agencies in 34 states.