18 Texas Sheriffs Sign Up to Join Forces With Federal Immigration Officers

GRAPEVINE —Eighteen counties in Texas, including Tarrant County, have entered into new pacts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allow local officers to enforce federal immigration laws, officials said Monday.One Texas city — Carrollton — also is party to such an arrangement, called a 287(g) agreement. With 19 local entities on board, Texas accounts for almost one-third of the 60 pacts nationwide.The arrangement between agencies effectively streamlines the removal of foreign-born people targeted by ICE. Counties will nominate officers for special training in jails to better identify immigrants who should be deported; in areas without such pacts, immigration enforcement is a federal matter. Acting ICE chief Tom Homan said he would like to see the rest of Texas' 254 counties on board.  Continue reading...