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WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 50 local law enforcement leaders have posted an open letter to immigrant communities underscoring their commitment to serving all community members. In the letter, also posted in Spanish, signatories highlight the importance of community trust in maintaining public safety, and the importance of a strong relationship between law enforcement and immigrant […]
Aug 29Dear Immigrant Communities: As members of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF), we want to assure you and communities across the country that local law enforcement serves to keep everyone safe. Following the tragic Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas, and raids the following week in Mississippi, we know that many immigrants in […]
Aug 29WASHINGTON, D.C. — Law enforcement leaders sent a letter today to the president, vice president and Homeland Security Secretary, urging better conditions for migrant children in detention. The 42 Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force members who signed the letter call on the administration to “minimize the detention of children” and “invest in the trained personnel and […]
Aug 14Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Acting Secretary McAleenan: As law enforcement leaders dedicated to preserving the safety and security of our communities, we write to express our concern about the reports of possible unacceptable conditions for children in the custody of the federal government. We are members of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task […]
Aug 14News Articles Featuring LEITF Members WKOW.COM: Madison police efforts with immigrant communities highlighted in national report Features Chief Mike Koval (Madison, WI), September 10, 2019 Lake & McHenry County Scanner: Letter: Lake County Sheriff says they will not enforce federal laws on immigrant community Features Sheriff John Idleburg (Lake County, IL), September 4, 2019 ABC […]
Aug 12FACT SHEET: Warrant Service Officer (WSO) Program What is the WSO program? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the launch of the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program on May 6, 2019. ICE called the WSO program “a new collaborative program intended for local law-enforcement that wish to honor immigration detainers but are prohibited […]
Jun 04On February 14, 2019, 15 members of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force met with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in Washington, DC. Task Force members in attendance included Chiefs and Sheriffs from across the country. During the meeting, Task Force members and Secretary Nielsen discussed a number of topics at the intersection of federal immigration […]
Feb 15Dear President Trump and Members of Congress: As law enforcement leaders who support commonsense immigration reforms consistent with public safety, we write to express our deep concern with the partial shutdown of the federal government. State and local law enforcement work constructively with federal law enforcement to combat drug trafficking, gangs, organized crime, and other […]
Jan 22Chief Chris Magnus (Tucson, AZ) and Chief Art Acevedo (Houston, TX) provided testimonies to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration on December 12, 2018 for a hearing entitled “Narcos: Transnational Cartels and Border Security.” See below for their written testimonies. Chief Chris Magnus (Tucson, AZ) Chairman Cornyn, Ranking […]
Dec 19WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty-seven local law enforcement leaders sent a letter to Senate leadership today voicing support for a bill that would help the families of first responders who die in the line of duty. The Kerrie Orozco Act, which passed the House in September, would permit a surviving spouse, child or parent of a U.S. […]
Dec 10The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Charles SchumerMinority LeaderUnited States SenateWashington, D.C. 20510 Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer: We write in support of the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act (H.R. 6580), a bill that would help the families of first responders who die in the […]
Dec 10Deputy Chief Chad Kasmar (Tucson, AZ) Tucson sits just over an hour north of the Nogales, Sonora, border and we serve a diverse population of more than 535,000. On Sept. 18 and 19, 2018, I was invited to attend a Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) trip, in conjunction with Bibles, Badges, and Business for […]
Sep 20INTRODUCTION While immigrants are part of the communities we serve, they are also fellow officers and colleagues working alongside us. We decided to publish these profiles of immigrants working with us to protect our communities and promote public safety to highlight some of the men and women on whom we rely to help America be […]
Jun 29Speaker Paul Ryan United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Majority Leader Mitch McConnell United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Minority Leader Charles Schumer United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Speaker Ryan, Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader […]
Jun 27FACT SHEET: Immigrants and Crime Introduction The issue of public safety and immigration is of keen interest to law enforcement officials. Recent public discourse has raised questions: Are immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants, more prone to commit crime? Will public safety will be improved through tougher immigration enforcement? This brief provides an overview of crimes […]
Jun 26Click here for a recording of today’s press call WASHINGTON, D.C. — Law enforcement leaders expressed grave concerns about children who remain separated from their parents during a press call today. Following President Trump’s executive order on Wednesday, police chiefs called for a plan to reunite children with their families and objected to the potential […]
Jun 21February 15, 2018 Dear Senator: As law enforcement leaders dedicated to preserving the safety and security of our communities, we have concerns about legislative proposals that would attempt to impose punitive, “one-size fits-all” policies on state and local law enforcement. Rather than strengthening state and local law enforcement by providing us with the tools to […]
Feb 15February 13, 2018 The Honorable Raúl Labrador Chairman Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security U.S. House of Representatives 1523 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Zoe Lofgren Ranking Member Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security U.S. House of Representatives 1401 Longworth House Office Building […]
Feb 13WASHINGTON, D.C. — The co-chairs of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force have sent a letter to members of Congress today urging a legislative solution for Dreamers. The letter is co-signed by co-chairs Sheriff Margaret Mims of Fresno County, California; Chief Tom Manger of Montgomery County, Maryland; and Chief Art Acevedo of Houston. “Our support for […]
Dec 14December 14, 2017 Dear Member of Congress: As law enforcement leaders who support commonsense immigration reforms to ensure the protection of our communities, we write to express our support again for a bipartisan legislative solution to allow Dreamers — young people brought to the United States as children — to remain in the United […]
Dec 14FACT SHEET: Immigrant Youth and MS-13 MS-13 has its roots in the U.S. Many young immigrants who fled Central America because of ongoing civil wars in the 1980s arrived in Los Angeles. They found that local American street gangs dominated the scene. They reacted by forming a gang of their own, which became […]
Dec 12WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty police chiefs, sheriffs and law enforcement leaders today sent a letter to members of Congress to express support for a bipartisan legislative solution that would allow Dreamers to remain in the country. “We support measures allowing law-abiding people to feel safe and secure in their communities, which reinforce trust and cooperation with […]
Oct 02October 2, 2017 Dear Member of Congress: As law enforcement leaders who support commonsense immigration reforms to ensure the protection of our communities, we write to express our support for a bipartisan legislative solution to allow Dreamers – young people brought to the United States as children – to remain in the United States […]
Oct 02FORUM POLICY National Immigration Forum 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 law enforcement personnel to carry out immigration enforcement actions. Under 287(g), a local jurisdiction may enter into […]
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 […]
Sep 08Click here to see a PERF report, U Visas and the Role of Local Police In Preventing and Investigating Crimes Against Immigrants.
Sep 01WASHINGTON, D.C. — Police chiefs and sheriffs are speaking out today about legislation that would undermine their ability to ensure public safety and work with immigrant communities.
Jun 28Permission Would Bolster Recruitment, Diversity
Jun 16LAURENCE BENENSON Assistant Director for Policy & Advocacy National Immigration Forum Click here to read the white paper, “A Path to Public Safety: The Legal Questions around Immigration Detainers.” So-called sanctuary jurisdictions have caused great controversy. Lost amid the debate is the fact that, whatever their approach toward immigrants, most state and local law […]
Feb 27WASHINGTON, D.C. — Police chiefs
Feb 07WASHINGTON, D.C. — Local law enforcement
Jan 26WASHINGTON, D.C. — In advance
Jul 06WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of a vote
Oct 20WASHINGTON, D.C. — At a Senate
Jul 21The Honorable Trey Gowdy
Jul 21Rather Than Target ‘Sanctuary Cities,’
Jul 15