12 Feb VICTORY: A STEP FORWARD IN ELIMINATING 287(G)
On Thursday, February 7 community members from Las Vegas together with Make the Road Nevada and Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center stood outside of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) headquarters to demand that Sheriff Lombardo end the deportation agreement the department has with U.S immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom showed his support by saying that the county should not be destroying families and aiding Trump’s deportation machine.
It all came after civil rights groups filed an open records request with Sheriff Lombardo’s office. The purpose of filing an open record request was to receive answers about the controversial 287(g) agreement. 287(g) is an opt-in federal program that uses state and local police forces to detain people suspected of being undocumented immigrants, giving ICE an opportunity to take custody of the person and potentially initiate deportation proceedings. It is important to note that this agreement can be terminated at any time by the Sheriff of the county. Five days after the request was made, the only answer received was an email from LVMPD asking for 30 days to compile the information.
Community members are anxious for the results in this request as this will uncover the truth about the real collaboration between LVMPD and ICE.
287(g) Small Victory “A Step forward”
After standing outside of the department’s headquarters last week, LVMPD’s lobbyist, Chuck Callaway, said the department will be changing its policy in regard to how undocumented immigrants with low-level traffic offenses get processed. According to reports, Sheriff Joe Lombardo has directed the jail to implement new procedures related to 287(g).
Our fight to eliminate 287(g) does not end here, this is just a step forward that will make our immigrant community feel safe while out driving or just walking in the street with their families. Many questions remain unanswered to fully understand LVMPD’s collaboration with ICE. We must also rebuild the trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, and we believe LVMPD’s 287(g) agreement must be eliminated in order to do so.