Waukesha County Sheriff's Office Will Implement Immigration Enforcement 287(g) ICE Program In Late July

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office is expected to implement immigration enforcement 287(g) in late July or early August after multiple correction's staff members become certified to carry out the duties as immigration officers inside the jail facility.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

April 25, 2018

Waukesha, WI - On Wednesday, Eric J. Severson, the Waukesha County Sheriff confirmed to Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that multiple correction's staff members from the jail facility have been designated to take the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) training and certification on June 18, 2018 to July 13, 2018 and upon completion, the 287(g) ICE program will be implemented at the jail facility in late July or early August. According to Sheriff Severson, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) was approved for the 287(g) Delegation of Authority Program by Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan on December 12, 2017 and the final program agreement was also approved by all parties involved on March 17, 2018.

Sheriff Severson stated, "As I have stated previously, this will not effect our patrol operations. This is a corrections based program and 287(g) employees will not be put in the community enforcing immigration laws."

Severson in the application for 287(g) indicated that all ICE detainer requests to hold suspected undocumented immigrants processed at the jail for traffic violations and other crimes will be honored. In the ICE 287(g) program application on question number 14, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) answered "Yes" when asked, if they accept ICE detainer requests and on question number 26, they answered that 1.3 detainers per month are honored by the WCSO.

When asked what were the 5 categories in which the WCSO come into contact and detain suspected undocumented immigrants, the WCSO identified the five violations that most undocumented immigrants are detained for, included;

• Operating while intoxicated
• Operating without a license
• Bail jumping - misdemeanor
• Operating after revocation, and
• Resisting or obstructing an officer.

According to the 287(g) program ICE application, the Waukesha County jail takes into custody more than 11 additional immigrants each month.

Voces de la Frontera, a workers and immigrant rights organization from Milwaukee will hold its annual May 1st march and rally at the City of Waukesha in protest of the foreseeable implementation of the 287(g) ICE program at the WCSO jail, which will become the first County sheriff's office in the state to be approved by ICE under the 287(g) program.

Waukesha County is a strong Republican stronghold and is a very anti-immigrant county, and those undocumented immigrants traveling to Waukesha for the VLDF march, protest and rally should be cautious. Any arrests for civil disobedience and any traffic violations by those attending the protest in Waukesha on May 1st will definitely be processed by the WCSO for immigration status as well, according to the latest partnership with ICE.

In 2012, former President Barack  H. Obama (D) suspended the 287(g) program after it was blatantly abuse by former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which deputies were found to illegally profile Latinos as undocumented, were illegally detained and violated the civil rights of those detained under 287(g). A lawsuit filed in federal court against Sheriff Arpaio and Arizona's SB 1070 known as "Show Me Your Papers" law resulted in Obama's decision to suspend 287(g) because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was legal to ask for legal status from those suspected being in the country illegally, but it denied for law enforcement to detain suspected undocumented immigrants for merely not having legal documents in their person, no work authorization, undermine the civil rights of Americans and increased profiling abuse.
Maricopa County in Arizona opt-out from 287(g) under the new elected sheriff. Today, President Donald Trump (R) has encouraged law enforcement agencies around the nation to partnership with ICE under 287(g) to help enforce immigration laws at the local level.

(For further review of the WCSO ICE 287(g) application see attached images of ICE application by the WCSO)