ASHLEY CHANDLER
Community Newspapers, Inc.
Sheriff Bill Leeper was in Miami-Dade County recently with other state law enforcement to listen to Gov. Ron DeSantis discuss the 287(g) program.
Leeper said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has entered approximately 700,000 administrative civil arrest warrants into the National Crime Information Center database across the U.S.
“We don’t expect there will be a large number in our area, but it does allow local law enforcement to partner with ICE in order to enforce the immigration laws,” Leeper said.
Law enforcement traveled to Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami Feb. 26 to listen to DeSantis talk about the 287(g). During the conference DeSantis and Homeland Security Senior Counselor Keith Pearson said all 67 Florida counties have agreed to work with Customs and Border Protection.
ICE says, “The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act – authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight.”
Leeper said, “Only federal immigration enforcement officials and state or local officers who are 287(g) trained and certified can serve these civil arrest warrants.”
He added that the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and all 67 sheriffs across Florida have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ICE to have a few patrol deputies 287(g) task force trained and certified in order to be able to serve the warrants.
“This will allow the deputy to detain and transport the person to our jail for a temporary hold until ICE can pick them up.”
Leeper said if there are any expenses that NCSO incurs, “it would be reimbursed by ICE or the State of Florida.”
Some of Florida’s county
representatives have express-ed concern about the availability of detention space. Nassau County has limited capacity.
“Right now, we have limited capacity in our jail, so making sure any of these detainees we hold are transferred to the local ICE office in Jacksonville within 48 hours is imperative,” he said.
The sheriff’s office already had an agreement in place with ICE.
“NCSO has had an MOU agreement with ICE since 2019 to temporarily house ICE detainees for up to 48 hours should an individual with a detainer come into the jail on another charge,” Leeper said.
He said Nassau County has several deputies already trained and classified as 287(g) ICE Warrant Service Officers who can serve the ICE Detainer Arrest Warrants.
“In doing so, once the local charge has been adjudicated, we would notify ICE to come pick the individual up within 24 hours,” Leeper said.
Since 2019, only a few have come through the jail.