On June 22nd, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) began a pilot program which allows two ICE agents to be stationed inside the Fresno County Jail.
This progressive approach is one of the only programs of its kind in the nation. The goal is to strengthen communication between the two agencies, which in turn will improve the safety of the citizens in Fresno County.
This partnership better equips ICE to monitor and manage the population of foreign born arrestees entering and leaving the jail. Agents now have access to inmate records and interview rooms in the jail. Between 6:00 am and midnight, they can perform background checks and determine if an inmate is eligible for deportation by looking at their current charges and past convictions.
Prior to this program, ICE would file a detainer request for FSO jail staff to notify the federal agency whenever a person of interest was scheduled to be released. Agents could then decide whether or not to pick up that person. Now that agents are stationed in the jail, they have the opportunity to be in a better position in terms of the detainer process. It’s important to note, the Sheriff’s Office does not make any recommendations to ICE. The Sheriff’s Office simply provides agents access to tools so they can do their jobs better.
To watch the entire press conference outlining the program, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZyDF0fEnc8
