Earlier this week, the Marathon County Sheriff announced an agreement with the Immigrant and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) to hand over people who they believe to be in the country illegally. 

The 287(g) program allows ICE to collaborate with state and local law enforcement officers to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight. The move comes as seventeen other counties in Wisconsin have joined this agreement such as; Fond Du Lac, Waukesha, and Sheboygan. (RELATED: Judge Rejects Plea Deal in Death of 7-Year-Old Ethan Hauschultz, Trial Set for February)

Sheriff Chad Billeb and his office argue that partnering with ICE gives local law enforcement extra support and federal resources, especially for handling individuals in the jail who may be undocumented and/or charged with serious crimes. This agreement is positioned as a way to streamline removal of offenders and reduce roadblocks on the local system.

By reducing the number of non-citizens who commit offenses and are not properly removed, the policy improves conditions for everyone who follows the law. The partnership enhances public safety and supports the vast majority of residents who play by the rules, while opening space for people who commit crimes to remain in jail, and not be released due to lack of space. 

Small cities have been experiencing the effects of these criminals, including the college town of Whitewater, WI. The Whitewater Police Department estimates that up to 1,000 individuals have arrived in less than two years, noting the strain this has caused on Whitewater, a small town of just 15,000. (RELATED: Healthcare Costs Soar Despite Democrats’ Massive Subsidies to Insurance Industry)

The college city has seen an increase in serious crimes involving some of those migrants, including numerous sexual assaults and sexual assaults of juveniles, a kidnapping, and the tragic death of an infant child.