Texas News

Travis County to continue honoring ICE detainers



by JESSICA VESS / KVUE News & Chief Photojournalist SCOTT GUEST
khou.com
Posted on April 2, 2014 at 11:42 AM
Updated today at 12:00 PM

AUSTIN -- Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton says the Sheriff's Office will continue to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers, despite protests calling for change.

The calls for change centers on an ICE program called Secure Communities, or S-Comm. Sheriff Hamilton says S-Comm is in effect at every jail in the country and is mandatory.

Under S-Comm, the federal government can identify potential deportation targets. They're tracked down when officers run fingerprints through a federal database during booking. The FBI gets that list and in turn sends the information over to ICE.

If someone turns out to be undocumented, ICE can then file a detainer. Sheriff Hamilton says his office will honor those detainers, and ultimately some people get deported as a result.

Those deportations sparked protests at the Travis County Jail in February. A group of approximately 20 people lined up in front of the jail, refusing to move, asking Sheriff Hamilton to make changes.

They say S-Comm divides families.

"I'm very sympathetic and empathetic for those individuals, but I've got a job to do and that's to maintain the safety and security in this community," explained Sheriff Hamilton.

A list of current Travis County inmates being held on detainer was released Wednesday morning. The Sheriff's Office reports that it comprises of less than five percent of the entire inmate population.

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