ICE Threatens 2 Sheriffs With Felony Charges Over Inmate Access Denials
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 5
ICE Threatens 2 Sheriffs With Felony Charges Over Inmate Access Denials
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 5
Summary
Early July letters hand-delivered to sheriffs in Minneapolis and Chicago warned they could face federal prosecution for refusing to give immigration agents broad access to inmates sought for deportation.
The letters said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart could be charged with witness tampering, a felony, if they failed to hand over inmates.
Legal experts said that theory would be difficult, if not impossible, to prosecute, and federal judges in Illinois and Minnesota have already dismissed suits against the sheriffs on constitutional grounds.
The threats mark a new escalation in the Trump administration’s push against sanctuary jurisdictions as it presses a broader mass-deportation campaign and the Justice Department sues local governments that resist cooperation.