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Introduction As the incoming Trump administration pledges to involve local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement, this memo seeks to assist such agencies in maintaining community trust. While there are legal limits on compelling local law enforcement to carry out federal enforcement policies, expanding local law enforcement’s role in immigration matters could significantly affect community […]
Dec 23By former Chief of Police, Richard Biehl (Dayton, OHIO) Seventeen years ago, I was appointed police chief of Dayton, Ohio. Not even a month into this role, I received an email that would drastically reshape my career and set me on a path to better serve Dayton’s immigrant communities. The email described the deep fear […]
Oct 17Available in PDF here. The Honorable Tom McClintock Chairman, Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement 2138 Rayburn House Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Pramila Jayapal Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement 2138 Rayburn House Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman McClintock and Ranking Member Jayapal: Since 2015, the Law Enforcement […]
Sep 19On May 8th, 2024, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and police officer Mitchell Soto-Rodriguez testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to reaffirm the vitality of Dreamers to our communities. Officer Soto-Rodriguez of Blue Island, IL, had dreamed of being a police officer since her sophomore year of high school, when a car […]
Sep 03Chief Sean McDonagh started his journey as a police officer in 1999 in Australia and moved to the United States to continue his career in late 2016. At a very young age, a family friend in law enforcement inspired his career choice by giving McDonagh a police hat. His career in public service includes stints with […]
Jul 29Available to download in PDF On May 1, 2024, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed into law House Bill 1105, the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024. In part, this sweeping state legislation requires Georgia’s local agencies to aggressively pursue agreements with the federal government to help enforce immigration laws, clarifies […]
Jul 03Available to download in PDF T Visas Final Rule T nonimmigrant status (commonly referred to as a “T visa”) allows noncitizens who are victims of sex or labor trafficking in the United States to remain in the country for an initial period of up to four years as long they assist law enforcement in […]
Jun 27Each year on June 20, the world comes together to celebrate the contributions and honor the courage of refugees around the globe. Refugees have been forced to leave their home countries due to conflicts and fear of persecution. Today, nearly 110 million people around the world are considered forcibly displaced, including 2.4 million refugees in […]
Jun 20After serving as interim chief, Chito Walker was appointed Chief of Police for Charleston, South Carolina in November 2023. He is not only the Chief of Police but a longstanding member of the Charleston community, having been a part of the Charleston PD since starting his career in law enforcement. Although Charleston looks very different […]
May 31DES MOINES — Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) members in Iowa are sharing concerns regarding a new law’s effect on local communities. Senate File 2340, signed into law last week by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and expected to go into effect July 1, will allow state officers to arrest migrants who enter the state […]
Apr 15April 2024 Co-Chair Chief Ramon Batista speaks about important immigration principles that should be upheld throughout this election year: February 2023 Retired Chief Mark Prosser on why he joined the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force: May 2022 Why did you join the LEITF and how has it benefitted your department? When immigrants […]
Apr 03In the face of officer shortages throughout the state of Illinois, the state Legislature passed a law in July 2023 allowing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to become police officers. House Bill 3571 took effect Jan. 1, permitting police departments to hire noncitizens who are legally authorized to work. Chief Geoffery Farr of […]
Apr 02Q&A with Chief Thomas Thompson (Dayton, OH) – Sinclair Community College Chief Tom Thompson began his law enforcement career in 1995 as a patrol officer with the Miamisburg Police Department in Ohio. In 2022, Thompson became Chief of Police of the Sinclair Community College Public Safety Department. He is the founder and Executive Director of […]
Feb 12What did you enjoy most about attending Leading the Way in Houston this year? What is your biggest takeaway? I truly enjoyed making connections with individuals from a broad spectrum of expertise and professions. It is an opportunity to discuss the challenges we face as a nation as it revolves around immigration reform, pathways to […]
Jan 22Santa Monica’s Chief of Police Named Task Force’s New Co-chair The Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) has announced that Police Chief Ramon Batista of Santa Monica, California, has been appointed as a new co-chair. Batista joins co-chairs Sheriff Ed Gonzalez (Harris County, Texas), Chief Chad Kasmar (Tucson, Arizona) and Chief Michael Tupper (Marshalltown, Iowa). “I am excited about […]
Jan 10Available to download in PDF Introduction The production and transportation of illicit fentanyl is not exclusively an immigration issue, but it is connected to the larger conversation around the U.S.-Mexico border. The smuggling and prevalence of illicit fentanyl impacts border communities in unique ways, creating distinctive challenges and placing local law enforcement on the front […]
Dec 21Available to download in PDF Dr. Ruben Quesada became a police officer to protect everyone’s rights. So when state legislators in Arizona tried to use local law enforcement like him to crack down on unauthorized immigration, he and many of his colleagues felt torn. Enacted in 2010, Arizona’s S.B. 1070 was notoriously the harshest anti-immigrant […]
Dec 20On October 13, members of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met in San Diego, CA. The LEITF aims to create a channel of communication between local law enforcement agencies and the federal government to work on shared issues related to reforming our county’s broken and outdated […]
Dec 15Located in northwest Iowa, the small city of Storm Lake boasts one of Iowa’s most ethnically diverse communities. The Storm Lake Police Department recently shared their success story of implementing inclusion programs in their community to increase trust in law enforcement and community. While Iowa may not be the most diverse state in the country, […]
Nov 06Before the 1990s, drug trafficking and human smuggling were two separate forms of transnational criminal activity. Human smuggling was a business that operated on a smaller scale, run by local families living along the border. Whereas drug trafficking has always been a large-scale business. But since then, many administrative and legislative initiatives have been implemented, […]
Oct 31Chad Kasmar is the Chief of Police in Tucson, AZ, and a co-chair of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force. He shared with us one of the biggest concerns he deals with at the intersection of local law enforcement and immigration: the exploitation activities of cartels. In recent years, news outlets have increasingly reported on […]
Oct 03Congressional Testimony of Ramon Batista Chief of Police Santa Monica (California) Police Department Hearing on “The Consequences of Criminal Aliens on U.S. Communities” Before the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. July 13, 2023 Watch video here. Chair McClintock, Ranking Member Jayapal, and […]
Jul 13Available to download in PDF Overview The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on May 23, 2023 its first Department-wide policy on body-worn cameras (BWCs). The policy includes a phased, nationwide implementation of BWCs for the Department’s officers and agents, pending the necessary funding from Congress to purchase and maintain the equipment. The […]
Jul 11Available to download in PDF Introduction In June 2022, 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America were discovered dead in the back of a tractor-trailer in San Antonio.[1] These migrants sought to support their families, flee poverty and violence, and pursue better lives. Many had already overcome harrowing conditions to reach the U.S. border […]
Jun 22By Sheriff Garry McFadden (Mecklenburg County, NC) Gov. Roy Cooper was right to veto the bill that forced N.C. sheriffs to work with ICE. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. When police chiefs and sheriffs are forced to step in, trust among our communities erodes. My community is safer when all members are able to […]
Jul 19June 28, 2022 Law Enforcement Leaders React to Migrant Tragedy in San Antonio WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday nearly 100 migrants were found in an abandoned semitrailer in San Antonio. Subject to extreme heat and other inhumane conditions, at least 50 migrants have died and others are in critical condition. Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) […]
Jun 28FORUM POLICY National Immigration Forum *An updated resource is now available: Reviving 287(g) Agreements Under the New Administration: Implementation, Concerns, and Implications Introduction Congress created the 287(g) program in 1996 to increase federal immigration enforcement capacity. Voluntary agreements under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) enlist and authorize state and local […]
Sep 08LAURENCE BENENSON Assistant Director for Policy & Advocacy National Immigration Forum Introduction No formal, legal definition of the term “sanctuary jurisdiction” exists in the U.S. Code or under federal regulations. Some define “sanctuary jurisdiction” as one that fails to cooperate with the federal government as required by a once-obscure provision of the Immigration and […]
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