McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said he is not seeing a big change in immigration enforcement yet from the Trump Administration.
President Trump has made border security and deportation of undocumented immigrants a centerpiece of his policy. But, Sheriff Sandage said unlike in border cities there has been no call to have central Illinois law enforcement act as an immigration arm.
"That remains to be seen as to how aggressively they look at this. But, as far as us going out seeking people in the community, we don't have the manpower to do that. And I don't think that helps promote trust with the community," said Sandage.
He said the policy is several years old to send all fingerprints of those taken to the jail to the FBI which consults with the Department of Homeland Security...
"We've said all along, it's not going to be up to us to pick and choose the prints that get sent. We submit all the prints. That way we're not accused of profiling or anything like that," said Sandage.
Sandage said it's not clear how aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will become, but ICE has not changed the frequency of detainers it lodges with the county.
He said the current standard was put in place three years ago for holding an arrestee for immigration authorities. It covers serious offenses such as aggravated felonies and street gang involvement, not minor offenses.
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