Maughan backs ICE at county jail
Oklahoma County District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan said he is “deeply concerned” with calls to end cooperation between the sheriff's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a statement released Tuesday. “ICE agents at the jail have assisted in identifying and suc -cessfully prosecuting individuals for serious crimes Maughan committed
in Oklahoma County,” Maughan wrote. “It is simply ir responsible to suggest that local law enforcement give up that relationship.”
M aug han' s statement comes after dozens of county residents attended Monday's Oklahoma County Jail Trust meeting and s poke during public comment time on why the trust should end all
agreements or cooperation with ICE and remove the two ICE officers who work in the jail.
The jail trust is a ninemember body that was created to reform the struggling county jail. Trustees do not yet have the authority to make changes, but it is expected the trust soon will take charge of running the jail.
“I would urge the jail trust to reject this call to end cooperation between local and federal law enforcement agencies ,” the statement reads.
Maughan's statement also appears in a Facebook post, which has dozens of comments of support.
District 3 Commissioner Kevin Calvey recently said he also supports cooperation between the county and federal law enforcement.
“While I, like many Americans, have empathy for people fleeing violence in other countries, that is no excuse for abandoning an order ly immigration system or ignoring federal law,” Calvey said.
District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert, however, said she does not support having ICE officers stationed in the jail and supported the efforts of protesters to get involved and demand changes.
“Not only do I have issues with the purpose of ICE in the first place, but I also have an issue with a federal employee fulfilling a federal duty in a county-run facility,” Blumert said. “I want to do anything I can in the way we structure our sheriff's office and our jail and our local government to build trust between members of the public and law enforcement. … From a broad sense, in my opinion, it creates more distrust between members of our community and l aw enforcement.”
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Police Chief Wade Gourley also recently stated their support for building trust instead of actively being engaged in en forcing federal immigration policy.
“I just want people of diverse backgrounds, whether they are literally an immigrant or descendants of immigrants, to know they are welcome in Oklahoma City,” Holt said.
The trustees will have a facilitated planning session Aug. 5 to determine their end goals for the jail, and discuss i ons around I CE could be continued.