13 Virginia sheriff’s offices sign agreements with ICE to help enforce immigration

BUCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Thirteen sheriff's offices throughout Virginia have signed agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help enforce immigration law.

The agreements were made through ICE's 287(g) program, which, according to the agency, allows local law enforcement agencies to:

• "Identify and process removable aliens with pending or active criminal charges,"
• "Enforce limited immigration authorities with ICE oversight during routine duties" and
• "Serve and execute administrative warrants on removable aliens in your jail."

The program has the following three models:

• The jail enforcement model, which allows officers to identify and process "removable aliens" currently in jail or a detention facility who have pending or active criminal charges while they’re in custody.
• The task force model, which allows officers to enforce limited immigration authority while performing routine police duties, like identifying "an alien" at a DUI checkpoint and sharing information directly with ICE. An ICE supervisor determines the next steps.
• Under the warrant service officer program, ICE trains, certifies and authorizes officers to serve and carry out administrative warrants on "aliens" currently in an agency’s custody.

As of 4 p.m. on Monday, June 9, the local law enforcement agencies in Central Virginia that had signed the agreement included both the Buckingham County and Mecklenburg County sheriff's offices. The Buckingham County Sheriff's Office reportedly signed the agreement on May 15, and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office signed it on May 13.

State agencies that had signed the agreement as of 4 p.m. on Monday, June 9, included the Virginia Department of Corrections and Virginia State Police.

Other local law enforcement throughout Virginia that had signed as of June 9 included the following:

• Alleghany County Sheriff's Office, (warrant service officer) signed on June 3
• Appomattox County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on May 13
• Bedford County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on March 7
• Campbell County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on May 8
• Craig County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on May 16
• Franklin County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on April 23
• Grayson County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on May 8
• Greene County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on May 8
• Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, (warrant service officer) signed on March 27
• Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on April 14
• Smyth County Sheriff's Office, (task force model) signed on April 14
• Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, (warrant service officer) signed on May 8

In addition, the following law enforcement agencies had pending agreements as of June 9:

• Buchanan County Sheriff's Office (task force model)
• Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office (jail enforcement model)
• Portsmouth County Sheriff's Office (warrant service officer)
• Scott County Sheriff's Office (task force model)
• Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (task force model)
• Virginia Marine Resources Commission (task force model)
• Washington County Sheriff's Office (task force model)

Earlier in June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security refused to explain why it deleted a list of what it called sanctuary jurisdictions from its website. The list included 33 Virginia localities, with spokespersons from many of them claiming they were wrongfully included. One included locality did not exist.