Sheriff’s interest in ICE program ripped
Program would enforce immigration law at county jail
TROY, N.Y. » For more than a month, Rensselaer County Sheriff Pat Russo has been criticized for his interest in filling out an application to implement a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement program within the county jail.
In October, Russo applied to the program, and ever since, his decision has come under criticism, with opponents asking for him to explain his reasons.
According to the ICE website, the application “allows a state or local law enforcement entity to enter into a partnership with ICE,” and that would allow the county jail to enforce federal immigration law at a local level.
More than a dozen immigration, civil and human rights, legal, faith, labor, education and community organizations and individuals sent a letter to Russo and Undersheriff Ed Bly voicing their opposition to the county joining the ICE program..
“Since its inception in 1996, the 287(g) program has raised serious concerns in the localities that have implemented the program, including increased costs to county budgets, increased incidents of racial profiling, and decreasing trust between local law enforcement officers and the communities they serve,” the letter reads. “We strongly believe that the implementation of the 287(g) program will not serve the needs of Rensselaer County or its taxpaying residents.”
Russo said Tuesday that joining the program will allow the jail to house ICE prisoners, providing additional revenue to the county at a current rate of $97 per day per inmate. Russo said the county has averaged about 100 federal inmates a day through an agreement with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, which will bring in $4 million in revenue this year.
“When we put that addition on [to the jail], the idea was to house inmates, whether they would be from other counties or the feds to recoup some money,” he said. “We have the facility, we have the room. It’s not like we would have to hire additional correction officers if we housed ICE inmates.”
Opponents, however, argue that there are additional costs to participating in the program.
“While ICE covers the cost of training deputized officers, state and local governments are responsible for the majority of costs associated with the 287(g) training, including travel, housing, and per diem for officers,” according to the letter to Russo and Bly. “Counties are also responsible for salaries, overtime, other personnel costs, and administrative supplies. Additionally, although some of the costs of detention of immigrants may be reim- bursed by the federal government through the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the federal government has never fully funded SCAAP, and reimbursements only cover a fraction of the costs spent by states and localities.”
Peter Grimm, Democratic minority leader for the Rensselaer County Legislature, said Tuesday members of the legislature have requested Russo provide more details about the contract during a public forum, though no specific meeting has been scheduled.
“Well, first of all, we would like to know more about it, [so] we’ve called on [Russo] to come speak to us about it,” said Grimm.
Grimm also said he and fellow Democratic Legislator Mark Fleming have already signed a petition op- posing the program coming to the county.
“I mean this is a really big deal,” said Grimm, “to be the first county in New York state to do it. I think, why haven’t other counties done it, and I think the reasons are obvious, but we’d like more information … [because] we are adamantly as a group against this.”
Russo said he is planning to meet with the entire Legislature after he gets more information to present to them, but Grimm said he also other concerns related to speculation he says he has heard about the application.
“We understand that the federal government will deputize and make sheriff’s deputies with some training,” he said, “and I’m speculating on all of this, [ but as] immigration officers, [that] gives them the right … that they can pull anyone over and ask them to prove that they’re an American citizen.”
However, Russo, a Republican, said his deputies would not be going out into the streets looking for illegal immigrants.
“The sheriff’s office is not going to go out on its own and do immigration sweeps,” said Russo. “It’s not like we’re going to have four people training and they’re going to be going out doing immigration sweeps. That’s not going to happen. We’re going to be working with ICE like we would with any other federal agency. Whether it’s DEA, FBI or local or state agencies, if somebody comes to us and looks for help with something, we accommodate them.”