The Cherryvale Police Department is looking to move forward with an inter-agency agreement with the Department of Homeland Security.

 

At last night's Cherryvale City Council Meeting, council members approved the police department moving forward with exploring an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the 287(g) program.

 

Deputy Police Chief Josh Shields says currently, if there are no local charges against an individual, officers are not able to investigate the legal status of an individual. Shields says if they move forward with this agreement, it would give them additional investigative resources.

 

Police Chief Jimmy Holt says ICE has talked with all law enforcement in Montgomery County on the program. The Coffeyville Police Department agreed to the program in November of last year, and the Caney Police Department also signed on to the task-force model earlier this month. The task-force model of the program allows officers to enforce limited immigration authority while performing routing police duties or be an active participant in an ICE-led task force. If the city moves forward, there will be required officer training. Holt says they will do more research into the program, but he believes it could be another useful tool for the police department.

 

More information on the 287(g) program is available here: https://www.ice.gov/identify-and-arrest/287g