Why aren’t all local NH police departments cooperating with ICE?

As President Trump fulfills his campaign promise of conducting the largest deportation effort in American history, the cries from critics have been loud and consistent. People can’t believe those who illegally entered our country are being arrested and deported. Horrific stories about people being snatched off the streets by masked agents in vans has instilled fear in immigrant communities. 

Let’s start off with one important fact to clear the air before we get into this topic. If you illegally enter the United States, you have committed a crime and therefore you are now a criminal. Regardless of whether or not you committed other crimes after illegally entering, the act of entering the United States of America illegally is a crime. Period.

Now to get on with it. An evolution of Trump’s mass deportation effort has been local police departments collaborating with ICE. A program titled the “287(g) Program”, allows ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who meet the qualifications to be removed from the U.S.

What’s interesting about this program is that the local police department has to nominate officers to participate in the program and they must be trained on immigration laws and enforcement procedures. However, the specific police department has to proactively apply for the program and be approved by ICE.

Kelly O’Brien, a reporter with WMUR recently reported that only 12 NH law enforcement agencies are working with ICE. Those agencies are Belknap County Sheriff's Office, Candia Police Department, Carroll Police Department, Colebrook Police Department, Gorham Police Department, Grafton County Sheriff's Office, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, New Hampshire State Police Department, Ossipee Police Department, Pittsburgh Police Department, Rockingham County Sheriff's Office and Troy Police Department.

I was shocked and disappointed to see that not one of New Hampshire’s major cities has chosen to cooperate with ICE. While data on illegal immigrants is limited, due to current populations, New Hampshire’s two largest cities, Manchester and Nashua likely have the highest number of illegal immigrants. However, both cities have chosen not to participate in the 287(g) program.

Fortunately, the New Hampshire State Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, both of who have jurisdiction in Manchester and Nashua  are participating in the program, so there’s at least some hope illegal criminals in New Hampshire won’t be let back out onto the street after they are arrested. Time will tell.

With the millions of illegal immigrants who have entered our country under the Biden administration, many of whom have criminal records, why would every police department in New Hampshire not participate in the 287(g) program and have the ability to assist ICE with removing criminals from our towns and cities? We all know the answer to that question.

The key advantage of local police cooperating with ICE is the ability to identify and remove illegal immigrants who are arrested and in custody for committing serious crimes. Local police often come into contact with individuals ICE is already looking for. Without collaboration, local departments might unknowingly release dangerous individuals back into the community and we have all heard the countless stories about dangerous illegal immigrants being released from jail who go on to commit even more serious crimes.

One aspect of local police cooperating with ICE that is important to consider is the process involved in detaining criminals. If a known illegal alien is arrested for a crime and is in custody, local police can notify ICE and that individual can be taken into ICE custody at the local jail, which is a safe, secure environment. The chances of injury to the officers or criminal are drastically reduced and most importantly, the public is safe and not exposed to the potentially chaotic scene of attempting to arrest someone in their home or on the street.

While the mass deportation effort continues to be a controversial and highly emotional topic, there really is no sound argument anyone can make. The people being deported are criminals. They do not belong in our communities and they are a danger to every law abiding United States citizen.

Nobody wants to see families separated. It’s gut wrenching and a horrible situation. However, consider this question. If an American citizen commits a crime, are they separate

from their family?

Anytime I get into the debate over immigration and mass deportation with someone, I make one simple statement. Drive your car north to Pittsburg, NH. Park your car, exit your vehicle and sprint across the Canadian border and see what happens. Don’t really take my advice, because I can tell you what will happen. You will be tackled, handcuffed, likely roughed up, thrown in a van and be driven right back to where you came from in the United States, immediately.

Chris Thompson’s (christhompsnh@gmail.com) column is published weekly on www.graniteeaglepress.com and www.howiecarrshow.com