I.C.E. News Release

May 13, 2010

32 local and state law enforcement officers complete ICE immigration enforcement training

Officers graduate after rigorous four-week training

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Thirty-two state and local law enforcement officers today attended a graduation ceremony in recognition of their completion of a rigorous four-week training under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) 287(g) program.

The training and the graduation ceremony were held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston. Following the graduation, ICE deputized these 32 officers, which allows them to enforce federal immigration law under ICE's supervision, which is authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The officers attended the four weeks of training in accordance with a memorandum of agreement between their respective jurisdictions and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These officers will be authorized to enforce federal immigration laws during the course of doing their normal duties.

The four-week course provided in-depth training on various enforcement topics, including: immigration law, intercultural relations, and how to use DHA databases to help positively identify criminals and immigration violators. This training was scheduled after both ICE and the represented police departments and sheriff's offices signed a 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The agreement and training enable officers to legally identify criminal and illegal aliens that they may encounter, and to initiate removal proceedings for those found to be in the country illegally.

The agencies represented in this class are the Charleston County Sheriff's Department, Orange County Sheriff's Department in California, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Department in Virginia, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Department in Oklahoma, the Harris County Sheriff's Department in Texas, the Rodgers Police Department in Arkansas, the City of Springdale Police Department in Arkansas, the Florence Police Department in Arizona; the City of Mesa Police Department in Arizona and the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Department in Virginia.

"Each law enforcement agency that signs on to the 287(g) program represent a force multiplier to help combat crime in local communities," said John N. Shofi, acting executive director for ICE's Office of State and Local Coordination. "Our ICE agents look forward to working closely with these newly trained officers to our mutual benefit, and to the ultimate benefit of public safety."

The 287(g) program is named after the section of law under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that authorizes ICE to train local officers to enforce immigration law. It has emerged as one of the agency's most successful and popular partnership initiatives as more state and local leaders have come to understand how a shared approach to immigration enforcement can benefit their communities.

Currently, 71 local enforcement agencies in 26 states spanning the nation have signed MOAs with ICE and now nearly 1,120 officers have been trained to enforce immigration law. More than 111,000 aliens have been removed after being identified by 287(g) officers since January 2006.

The 287(g) program is only one component under the ICE ACCESS (Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security) umbrella of services available to assist local law enforcement officers. ICE ACCESS provides local law enforcement agencies an opportunity to partner with ICE to combat specific challenges in their communities.

Other ICE ACCESS enforcement options include the creation of local task forces targeting specific challenges like gangs or document fraud, the presence of a Criminal Alien Program (CAP) team in local detention facilities to identify criminal aliens, or training to utilize the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) which provides officers the ability to inquire about a person's immigration and criminal history.

Law enforcement agencies interested in reviewing the myriad of enforcement programs under the ICE ACCESS program are encouraged to call their local ICE office or visit http://www.ice.gov for more information. More information about ICE's 287(g) program is available at: http://www.ice.gov/partners/287g/Section287_g.htm.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE comprises four integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 13, 2010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1005/100513charleston.htm