Anne Arundel jails shut down immigration screening

When Steuart Pittman pledged to “kiss” 287(g) “goodbye,” the county head of detention facilities took that as an order, ending the program less than 24 hours after the new Anne Arundel county executive gave his inauguration speech.

Detention Facilities Superintendent Terry Kokolis ended the immigration program on Dec. 4 at Pittman’s “direction,” according to an email from Keith Quaine, a detention facilities lieutenant.

Pittman’s office said the superintendent took “initiative” after the speech. It was not a direct order.

Detention officers were told to immediately stop processing incoming inmates under the program. The county began processing inmates under the 287(g) program in December 2017, partnering with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement to find immigration violations.

The email does not make a reference to how Pittman’s direction was given.

“As directed by CE Pittman, Detention Officers trained for the program are to cease processing any new arrivals under the 287(g) protocols effective immediately,” Quaine wrote in the email. “The County will formally advise Homeland Security by letter of the our intent to end the program.”

Pittman has been a critic of the program, saying it doesn’t change how the county handles violent criminals while leading to possible deportation of lowlevel offenders.

Counties that partner with the program train detention officers to screen inmates as they come into local jails. Anne Arundel County screened 180 inmates from December 2017 to November. Of those screened, 64 received ICE detainers with 36 of them committing violent crimes ranging from murder to burglary. The rest committed non-violent offenses such as driving without a license, DUI or credit card fraud.

Inmates who did not receive detainers were listed not eligible for various reasons, such as being naturalized citizens. Anne Arundel County had an average of 733 inmates daily during fiscal 2017, according to Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services data. The county has the capacity to hold 1,175 inmates.

Pittman pledged to review the program before ending it. He has asked for inmate screening data.

Pittman plans to meet with Kokolis this week to discuss the program and the county contract to house people awaiting deportation under an ICE order.