Regarding the article “Westmoreland commissioner calls sheriff’s partnership with ICE invalid” (Feb. 12, TribLive): Five minutes of personal checking clearly identifies there is no question Sheriff James Albert is fully within his purview to set his department’s policies and sign a letter of agreement with ICE.
As an elected official (like an elected commissioner), Albert is acting in accordance with Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which authorizes ICE to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies. The purpose of this program is to identify and process removable noncitizens booked into local jail custody after arrest for state and local offenses. It allows for the deputizing of state/local officers. While local officers perform duties, they are required to act under the supervision of ICE and abide by federal civil rights laws.
It is better not to follow in the crazy footsteps of places like Minneapolis, but rather to follow commonsense aspects of working together as a law enforcement task force . I believe that if the mayor of Minneapolis allowed his police force to keep protesters away from ICE officers, two people would be alive today. News agencies pushing articles that call this into question own a portion of those deaths as well.
Chris Baldy
Murrysville