Cities, sheriffs find flaws in Trump's immigration jail list
Source: StarTribune (AP)
AUSTIN, Texas Several city officials and sheriffs around the U.S. lashed out Tuesday at a White House report aiming to shame them over what the Trump administration sees as lax immigration policies, saying it includes wrong or misleading information about recent arrests of immigrants or their jail policies.
The pushback was not just from liberal local governments that are at odds with President Donald Trump over immigration crackdowns and his promise to deport "bad dudes" living in the United States illegally. In Texas, the elected Republican sheriff of conservative Williamson County said his jail didn't refuse four recent immigration detainer requests as claimed.
The list was prompted by an executive order signed by Trump in January that called on the government to document which local jurisdictions aren't cooperating with federal efforts to find and deport immigrants in the country illegally.
The first list was released Monday, citing 206 examples of immigrants who were said to have been released from custody by local jails despite requests from federal agents. The requests, often called "detainers," have taken on a greater role in the immigration debate under Trump, who strenuously opposes local policies that grant leniency to people in the country illegally.
Many "sanctuary cities" choose to not honor the requests when immigrants complete their sentences and are released from jail.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/cities-sheriffs-find-flaws-in-us-immigration-detainer-list/416752243/