Sheriff's office gets new ICE powers

Monday Posted Nov 21, 2016 at 8:01 PMUpdated Nov 21, 2016 at 8:01 PM

By The Herald News

DARTMOUTH — A new partnership means Bristol County Sheriff’s Office personnel now have delegated authority to apprehend, detain and assist with deportation of criminal illegal immigrants locally, officials said.

According to a news release, the Sheriff’s Office was recently accepted into Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program, under which personnel will receive training and authorization to perform immigration law enforcement functions such as identifying, processing and detaining immigration offenders in Bristol County.

The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office is the third organization in New England to enter into the program.

“The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office will continue to fully cooperate with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies to protect the citizens of this great county,” Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said in a statement. “More communication and cooperation between law enforcement organizations can only benefit our citizens and help keep them safe.

"Our obligation first and foremost is to collaborate with all law enforcement at every level to maximize our resources to protect the safety of our citizens and legal residents,” Hodgson said.

“Partnerships, such as the one with Bristol County, provide immediate and direct positive contributions to community and officer safety,” said Boston ERO Field Office Director Chris Cronen, of ICE, said in the release.

The sheriff's office applied for the partnership months before the election, the release said. Before entering the 287(g) partnership, ICE officers from Boston were the only officials authorized to perform immigration interviews.

Sheriff's office gets new ICE powers - SouthCoastToday.com