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Panelists tell Congress gaps in detainer practices complicate transfers between local jails and ICE
Summary
Law enforcement panelists at a House roundtable described inconsistent local practices around ICE detainers and urged clearer communication and training to ensure safe transfers and public safety.
Panelists at a House Oversight and Reform roundtable described inconsistent handling of immigration detainers by local jurisdictions and urged clearer lines of communication and training between local agencies and federal partners to reduce risks during custody transfers.
The substance matters because witnesses said failures to coordinate transfers can allow individuals with outstanding federal detainers to escape custody and put communities and officers at risk.
Colonel Robert T. Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said coordinated transfers keep communities safe: “It takes law more law enforcement officers to track that person. More importantly, someone’s gonna get hurt in that process, unfortunately,” he said, urging local‑federal coordination for safe in‑facility transfers. Sheriff and ESU witnesses described examples where transfers were completed smoothly after ICE followed up, and other instances where officers said they were unsure who to call or how to process a detainer. Sergeant Edward Lehi said that contact from ICE to collect a detainee “happens all the time” but added that boots‑on‑the‑ground personnel sometimes discover the process only through experience.
Members and witnesses discussed the 287(g) program as a model for trained local participation in federal immigration enforcement; panelists said additional training, a published point of contact, and routine operational guidance from federal partners would reduce confusion. Representative Higgins and others pressed witnesses to confirm that, when a valid detainer exists and someone is already in custody, local agencies typically can and should hold the person for transfer; witnesses agreed that honoring active warrants and detainers is standard practice where jurisdictions cooperate.
The roundtable produced no formal committee action; members used the session to gather perspectives on cooperation, training, and statutory authorities such as the Immigration and Nationality Act and the 287(g) program. Witnesses requested clearer federal guidance and training to ensure safe transfers and reduce the likelihood that detainer subjects flee custody during ad hoc releases outside controlled facilities.
