Wicomico County Sheriff partnership with ICE?

WICOMICO CO, Md. – Is the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office working with ICE?

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said, “I don’t have the manpower to put deputies at the Wicomico County detention center to assist in a processing of anyone for ICE. At this time, I simply don’t have it.”

Sheriff Lewis and County Executive Julie Giordano did explore options they both say they’re unsure of whether working with ICE will be feasible.

Giordano shared, “I have spoken to several ice agents and went through the different potential models that we could do here. And I’m going to present those to the sheriff tomorrow to see if any of them seem palatable for his deputies and for our county as he is the head law enforcement of the county. ”

The 287G program allows local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement. Sheriff Lewis said that three counties in Maryland are part of the program and 11 are looking into signing up.

“They are trained by ICE. They are paid by ICE to do everything that they’re doing to prepare for their roles inside the jail. Not one of those sheriff’s office is not one is actually doing anything operationally on the street. Everything is being done at the detention center.”

Sheriff Lewis said the county would not pay for enforcement but would help process individuals. Many in the community are against the idea. Wicomico County Council President John Cannon responded, “There’s a lot of discussion about sheriffs concerned about sheriff’s deputies being on the streets, about being in the schools. Sheriff Lewis has reiterated over and over and over again that we are not going to have deputies in the streets arresting illegal immigrants.”

Ultimately, Sheriff Lewis shared that whether the county will work with ICE and it is in officials’ hands.

“All the other alphabet agencies are fine, but they don’t want us working with ice. Well, guess what? They don’t get to pick and choose. And the law is the law.” said Sheriff Lewis.