Bristol, Plymouth county jails to screen inmates for deportation
Corrections officers in Bristol and Plymouth counties will help federal immigration agents find and deport illegal immigrants being held in their jails, a move that could boost President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to speed up deportations.
The sheriffs plan to sign agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday that will give them the authority to help enforce federal immigration law, though only inside the jails.
“I’m ecstatic about it because I’ve wanted to get it for a long time,” said Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who recently stirred controversy by offering inmates to help build Trump’s wall on the US-Mexico border. “It’s important that we use all our tools to prevent crime. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Trump has pledged to deport 2 million to 3 million criminals, and the sheriffs, both Republicans, say their efforts will streamline the deportation process by using corrections officers to interview immigrants, scour federal databases, and report those here illegally to ICE, which will decide who to detain to face deportation proceedings.
Read more: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/17/bristol-and-plymouth-county-jails-screen-inmates-for-deportation/2KVrqUxEBuBJahKx5UaZ9L/story.html