US Sheriffs Bypass State Restrictions to Cooperate With ICE

Jim DeWees, the Sheriff of Carroll County, Maryland, replaced a formal 287(g) agreement with a new internal policy, Special Order 26-001, after Governor Wes Moore signed a state ban on such partnerships. This new policy allows the county to continue fingerprinting, photographing, and holding individuals for ICE detainers for up to 48 hours. DeWees argues that this approach ensures community safety and contends that claims that the policy prevents law enforcement from working with federal agents are false.

In Minnesota, Sherburne County Sheriff Joel Brott paused a request for a 287(g) jail enforcement model following a legal opinion from Attorney General Keith Ellison. The opinion stated that sheriffs lack the authority to enter these agreements without county board approval and cannot hold individuals past their release times based solely on ICE detainers. Brott maintains that current county policies already facilitate most ICE notifications and continues to cooperate with federal immigration law, asserting that civil detainers prevent individuals from being prematurely reintroduced into the community.