RIGHT SPEAK: To Resolve Biden’s Border Crisis, Red States Need To Require All Police To Help Deport Illegals; Gov. Abbott Signs Bill Requiring Counties Participate in Federal Immigration Enforcement Program

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To Resolve Biden’s Border Crisis, Red States Need To Require All Police To Help Deport Illegals:

Every law enforcement agency in every red state should take part in the 287(g) program.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested more than 1,500 illegal aliens, including sexual predators and fugitives, in Texas during a 10-day period, the agency announced on Nov. 5. It’s an extraordinary achievement, and a reminder that even with operations of this scale, the border security and deportation effort is still only scratching the surface.

Texas is vast, and for every arrest made, there are countless others who have slipped through the cracks. But that number will soon grow even higher thanks to a new law passed by the Texas Legislature this year requiring nearly all county sheriffs to request entry into the federal 287(g) program.

The 287(g) program, authorized under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allows state and local law enforcement officers to partner directly with ICE to identify, detain, and remove illegal aliens. This model — expanded successfully in Florida — gives local law enforcement officers the authority and training to enforce immigration law as a true force multiplier.

As of November, 58 agencies in Texas operate under the 287(g) Task Force Model agreement — four state agencies, 39 sheriffs’ departments, and 15 municipalities. Texas must continue to increase that number until every jurisdiction is doing its part to protect its citizens, and other states must imitate Texas’ example and expand or begin the adoption of the Task Force Model in their own jurisdictions.

The legislation Texas lawmakers passed requiring nearly all county sheriff departments in the state to formally request entry into 287(g) agreements takes effect Jan. 1. This was a bold and necessary step toward full cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. But it cannot stop there. The mandate should extend beyond sheriffs’ departments to include municipal police departments and constables. No one knows their community better than the officers who patrol it every day, and every Texan deserves to live safely and know that their peace officers are aggressively identifying and removing illegal aliens who threaten public safety.

Recently, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) highway patrol and criminal investigation divisions made a similar move in pursuit of public safety, formally signing on to a 287(g) agreement with the Department of Homeland Security — a major step forward in restoring the rule of law in our state. For 0oo long, illegal immigration has strained our communities, our law enforcement agencies, and our economy. By joining the 287(g) program, Texas DPS is sending a clear message: Texas will not be a sanctuary for lawbreakers. --->READ MORE HERE

Gov. Abbott signs bill requiring counties participate in federal immigration enforcement program:

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 8 into law, mandating the majority of Texas sheriff’s offices participate in a program that gives them federal immigration enforcement authority.

Under the 287(g) program – named for the section of government code that created it – law enforcement officers are trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and detain immigrants in the country illegally. The partnerships are meant to expand the reach of ICE and aid the federal government’s immigration efforts.

Counties running jails or contracting with private vendors to operate jails will be required to seek 287(g) agreements.

Nationally, the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the program has skyrocketed since President Donald Trump began his second term this year. On June 23, federal data showed over 700 agreements across the country and nearly 60 more pending.

Florida previously passed its own law requiring certain agencies to participate in the 287(g) program, and it leads the country with 285 agreements. Texas has 100 agreements, the second most of any state, according to mid-June data from ICE.