A Maryland congressman is demanding that Homeland Security cancel its agreement that allows the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office to enforce immigration laws, saying the government should punish the sheriff for stoking “hatred and fear of immigrants.”
Rep. David Trone said he’s received reports from Hispanic residents of abusive treatment by deputies, and he pointed to reports of shoddy conditions at the county jail as evidence the sheriff’s office is poorly run.
In a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Democratic congressman singled out Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who he said has been a particular antagonist to the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Mr. Trone said that should concern Mr. Mayorkas, who has tied “anti-immigrant” rhetoric to a rise in hate crimes.
“Although Sheriff Jenkins is free to disagree with current immigration policy and has the right to express his views, the federal government can, and should, refuse to grant federal immigration powers to individuals like Jenkins who use their platform to stoke hatred and fear of immigrants—and thereby undermine public safety for all,” wrote Mr. Trone, a Democrat who is running for Senate.
At issue is the cooperative agreement between Frederick County and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Known as a 287(g) agreement that allows nonfederal police departments to begin the process of enforcing immigration laws.
Under the current model, that means taking the names of people booked into jail and checking them to see if they are flagged as immigrants who are in the country illegally. They are then turned over to ICE for action.
The program has become controversial over the last decade, with immigrant rights activists complaining that cooperation with ICE poisons relations between local police and immigrant and Hispanic communities.
As of June, ICE counted 137 agreements. That’s down from 150 agreements in January 2021, when President Biden took office.
Frederick is one of three rural Maryland counties, along with Cecil and Harford, that have the agreements.
Mr. Trone’s letter to Homeland Security follows the demands of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, which in July called for an investigation of Sheriff Jenkins.
The ACLU cited “racial disparities” in how Frederick deputies enforce the law, and “inhumane” conditions at the county jail that included a sewage system failure in March.
Sheriffs who participate in 287(g) defend it as an important public safety tool, reasoning that anyone who has been booked into jail should be fair game to see if they should be in the U.S. in the first place.
After the ACLU challenge, Sheriff Jenkins told The Frederick News-Post that complaints about racial profiling in his department were not linked to the 287(g) program, which he said is regularly audited by Homeland Security.
“Every inspection and audit has demonstrated that we have met and exceeded the required federal standards for the program, having earned recognition as a ‘Model’ 287g Program,” the sheriff said.
Hanging over the complaints about the sheriff’s office is Sheriff Jenkins’ indictment earlier this year on charges of lying to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prosecutors say he helped a local gun store obtain restricted automatic weapons by certifying they were intended for use by his department.
Sheriff Jenkins was on a self-imposed leave for four months after the indictment but returned to duty late last month. As part of his pretrial release, he is not to have access to firearms.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.