Border Security Plan

Part of my Strategic Plan for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office will include a Border Security element. A Strategic Plan is critical to the operations of a law enforcement agency by identifying priorities, establishing methods, setting goals, and measuring performance to be held accountable.

The crisis at our border doesn’t stay at the border and we need to position ourselves to do our part in combating the smuggling and trafficking of people and drugs, and to prevent a terrorist attack.

Part of my Border Security Plan will be to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287g. This program creates a partnership between ICE and local law enforcement to permit designated officers to receive appropriate training in order to perform limited immigration law enforcement functions. The agreement acts as a force multiplier to identify noncitizens with criminal charges or convictions so that they can be remanded into ICE custody and not be released back into our community.

As your Sheriff, I will work with our Commissioner’s Court to gain support for the program and with our County Attorney and District Attorney for program implementation to benefit Washington County.