Feds threaten Hennepin County Sheriff with prosecution over jail's ICE detainer policy
Hennepin County Sheriff threatened with prosecution over jail's ICE detainer policy
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt says she is being threatened with prosecution by federal authorities over jail immigration policies. FOX 9's Paul Blume has the story.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County’s sheriff says federal authorities are ramping up pressure on local jails over immigration enforcement, and she feels targeted by threats of prosecution.
Federal subpoenas, jail immigration policy at the center
What we know:
Hennepin Co. Sheriff Dawanna Witt says she has received subpoenas from federal authorities demanding the jail detain certain inmates whose immigration status is in question. The subpoenas warn that not complying could be considered tampering with a witness and could result in fines or jail time if convicted.
Witt says the jail’s policy has not changed. The county will comply with a court-ordered, judicial warrant for someone’s detention or transfer, but will not honor administrative paperwork from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"I am dealing with these subpoenas that are threatening to basically have me arrested for witness tampering," said Witt. "So yeah, I do think that this is escalating and I think it is being used to try to intimidate me."
The Department of Homeland Security says immigration subpoenas are nothing new.
"This isn’t news," read a statement from a DHS spokesperson to FOX 9. "In President Trump’s first term subpoenas were commonly used to compel local and state law enforcement that REFUSED to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and detainers. In the president’s second term, we’re continuing these efforts as sanctuary politicians refuse to hand over the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. Non-cooperative jurisdictions have a choice: stop harboring criminal illegal aliens and releasing them into their communities, or work with ICE to make America safe again. Either way, ICE will not be slowing down on enforcing federal law."
Same standards
Dig deeper:
Sheriff Witt says the jail’s approach is about consistency and following Minnesota law. She says the jail will only hold someone for federal authorities if there is a warrant signed by a judge, just as they would for local law enforcement.
"We are holding the federal government to the same standards we hold our local authorities to," explained Witt. "If we are to hold somebody past the current charges we have, like our other sheriffs know that they're going to have that hold, there's going to be a warrant. Warrants are signed by judges. And that is all that we are asking for is that consistency. We don't honor the detainers, which is what they use. Those are not signed by judge."
Witt also says her office works with federal partners on all criminal matters but does not enforce immigration status. She wants federal authorities to follow the law and not threaten local officials.
"My message is, you know what, we are good partners. You know, we work with our federal partners on all criminal-type matters. We do not enforce immigration status, and all I am asking them to do is do your job, be professional about it, and do it right. We are following the laws. If you want something to change, then you need to have the laws changed. But threatening other elected officials, such as myself, is not okay," said Witt.