Federal officials are recommending letting the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department take part in a program that could mean transferring more jail inmates to U.S. immigration authorities.
Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson said Tuesday evening that an advisory board to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has agreed to Waukesha County obtaining what’s known as 287(g) authority at its jail. The program allows local officers to aid in enforcing federal immigration laws.
Last month, Severson wrote that he has a responsibility to protect citizens and assist the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement when ICE requests immigrants living in the country illegally be transferred to their custody from county jails.
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Severson said final approval to Tuesday’s recommendation is pending with the new director of ICE, a process that could take up to four weeks.
The Milwaukee-based immigrants rights group, Voces de la Frontera, is urging Severson not to sign the 287(g) agreement, calling it a racist program that will destroy some Waukesha County families.
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