Beaver County sheriff seeks 287(g) cooperation with ICE; residents and faith leaders press for safeguards

Beaver County Sheriff Guy asked the Beaver County Board of Commissioners during a Oct. 29 work session to support his office’s participation in a federal 287(g) immigration‑cooperation program that would allow trained local deputies to query DHS databases, determine immigration status, and, in some cases, place detainers to hold individuals for up to 48 hours for ICE to take custody.

The sheriff said he has submitted a letter of interest and ‘‘a signed agreement with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’’ and described the administrative steps the program requires, including background checks and initial and periodic refresher training for deputies. ‘‘The plan is to have those deputies trained and authorized by ICE, access the database, and ask questions of those individuals to determine their immigration status,’’ he said, describing the process as centered in the county’s regional booking center where arrestees are fingerprinted and photographed.

The sheriff urged commissioners to support the effort, saying local law enforcement leaders and a Beaver County Chiefs of Police meeting had voted to back his…