A group of five Minnesota sheriff’s offices inked cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE), taking a strikingly different approach to immigration enforcement in a state known for its widespread sanctuary policies.
Minnesota’s Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca and Jackson counties sheriffs’ offices have all entered 287g agreements with ICE since President Donald Trump took office, allowing the federal immigration agency to delegate some authority to the offices to perform immigration enforcement functions, according to a report by the Sahan Journal.
The agreements allow for increased cooperation between the local law enforcement agencies and ICE, including programs that focus on identifying and processing illegal immigrants that are already in custody and are eligible for deportation. Another program allows for a “task force model,” which brings the local agencies in to serve as a “force multiplier” for ICE, the report said.
Minnesota has widespread “sanctuary” laws, with 12 of the state’s counties at least limiting their cooperation with immigration authorities. (Getty Images / ICE)
Some local law enforcement officers will also have the opportunity to participate in 40-hour ICE training sessions under the agreements, the report notes, while agencies participating in the program are required to keep in regular contact with their nearest ICE field office when carrying out any immigration enforcement.
The agreements come in a state that has seen widespread use of so-called “sanctuary” policies that limit or prohibit a local jurisdiction’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, with the latest Center for Immigration Studies data showing 12 Minnesota counties that have passed rules limiting cooperation with ICE.
The five sheriff’s offices inking agreements with ICE over the last few months brings the total number of offices participating in 287g in the state to seven, the Sahan Journal report notes, with the five new counties joining Sherburne and Kandiyohi counties, which have long had cooperation agreements with ICE.
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ICE has long had to deal with “sanctuary” juridisdictions that limit cooperation with the agency. (ICE)
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The agreements have already led to a growth in immigrant detentions, with a Freeborn County jail deputy telling the Sahan Journal that there has “definitely” been an “uptick” in immigration inmates since the county entered the agreement.
However, the program is not without critics, with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office cautioning local agencies to consider potential drawbacks.
ICE coordinates agreements with local jurisdictions to enhance enforcement. (ICE Seattle)
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“While 287g agreements are sometimes touted as a tool for getting violent offenders off the street, studies have shown that large numbers of people detained through 287g-related enforcement have committed only misdemeanors or traffic violations,” a spokesperson for Ellison’s office told the Sahan Journal.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.