Wichita County approves memorandum with ICE to allow deputies limited immigration enforcement duties
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Summary
The Wichita County Commissioners included a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the consent agenda. The agreement would allow qualified county deputies to take limited immigration-enforcement actions after specified training; commissioners approved the consent agenda 5-0.
Wichita County Commissioners on Oct. 21 approved a consent-agenda item that ratified a memorandum of agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office, allowing certain county deputies limited immigration-enforcement authority after completing federal training.
The memorandum drew explanation from Chief McBaron of the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office, who told the court, “what this is gonna do is, it just kinda dovetails with what we're already doing with the jail and allowing them to, sign the warrants. ... They're gonna have to take a 40 hour course, online, and they will be given the powers of, ice enforcement, limited amount of powers, but they'll be able to detain people for the purpose of finding out whether or not they're in the country legally.”
The agreement, as described in the meeting, would apply to deputies with at least two years of law-enforcement experience; the sheriff’s office would require the specified 40-hour course before delegating the limited authority. Chief McBaron also said the federal partner indicated it would reimburse task-force officers’ salaries if the county’s officers apprehend individuals on a federal list the speaker referred to as an “ICE 100” — described in the meeting as people with removal orders and outstanding felony warrants. "They will actually pay the salaries of all those task force officers" if one of those listed is taken into custody, Chief McBaron said.
Commissioners asked whether the agreement was a response to recent state legislative changes; Chief McBaron said he was not sure. He also told the court the MOA would allow jail supervisors to sign paperwork for detainees who come into custody with federal paperwork without waiting for an agent from another jurisdiction to travel to Wichita County.
The ICE memorandum was part of an eight-item consent agenda that commissioners approved by voice vote (5-0). The court did not take separate roll-call votes for each consent item during the meeting.
The memorandum itself and its operational details (for example, which specific deputies would be enrolled, how the county would document the scope of the “limited” powers, or whether any local policy changes are required) were not included in the discussion on the record and were not specified in the public transcript.
