HAMILTON, Ohio — Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has expanded his office's role in federal immigration enforcement, making his deputies the first in Ohio to receive credentials allowing them to make immigration arrests during routine police activities.
The sheriff's office recently joined the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) program, which authorizes state and local law enforcement to aid federal immigration efforts through jail enforcement, serving civil immigration warrants or acting as an arresting task force.
"Every state is a border state," Jones told WCPO back in early February.
Under the task force model, Butler County deputies can now enforce "limited immigration authority during routine police enforcement," like traffic stops.
WATCH: We speak to an immigration advocate about what the new authorization means
This is in addition to the agency's renewed contract with ICE, under which the sheriff's office is paid to detain and transport individuals facing deportation.
"We charge them an amount, and we have a contract with them, and that helps pay the cost of what we do here," Jones said.
While five other sheriff's offices across Ohio have contracts with ICE, Jones said his deputies are the first in the state to receive these expanded credentials. Butler, Fayette, Seneca, Portage and Lake counties all have contracts with ICE.
Immigration advocates have expressed concern about the program's implementation. A recent publicized arrest by the Butler County Sheriff's Office began as a traffic stop and ended with four men, who authorities say are in the country illegally, being held on a temporary ICE detainer.
"The Hispanic community is being targeted," said Samantha Searls, the Immigration Justice Program Director at Ignite Peace. "In traffic law enforcement, that is how a lot of deportations start ... and to me, that feels wrong because if I were to commit that crime, my punishment would look completely different, and I would still get to go home to my family."
Deputies must complete 40 hours of training by an ICE instructor before receiving these powers. However, it remains unclear exactly what information guides these deputies when identifying potentially undocumented individuals during encounters.
