Sumner County joins a growing number of counties signing on to ICE enforcement program

The Sumner County Sheriff's Department is the latest law enforcement agency in Tennessee to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the state begins to see sweeping immigration crackdowns.

The effort comes as Nashville on Sunday saw a mass traffic sweep where the Tennessee Highway Patrol in partnership with ICE pulled over 150 cars and detained an unknown number of people.

The operation sparked a mass public outcry from immigration advocates and state and local lawmakers, including Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell. 

Meanwhile, a growing number of law enforcement agencies are signing on to an ICE enforcement program called 287(g) that allows local officials to take on some federal duties, like jail enforcement and serving civil immigration warrants.

Sumner County signed on for the ICE 287(g) program on April 29, according to the federal list.

It now joins five other Tennessee counties, including Giles, Knox, Greene, Hamilton and Putnam.

The Knox, Greene, Hamilton and Putnam sheriff's departments are all part of the program's jail enforcement model, where local law enforcement work to identify undocumented people in custody and begin the immigration proceedings on behalf of ICE.

Sumner and Giles counties are part of the program's warrant service officer model, which allows local officials to serve civil immigration warrants on undocumented residents in the agency's jail.

Summer County Sheriff Eric Craddock in an email Monday said he opted to join the program to enhance the safety and security in the community.

"By entering into the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model of the program, we will be able to more efficiently and lawfully process these individuals - ensuring that those who pose a threat to public safety are not released back into the community," he wrote.

Officials have touted the ICE program as a way to streamline warrants for people with criminal charges in a secure environment, while reducing the number of criminal offenders released back into the community.

ICE trains local law enforcement but does not provide any extra financial incentives.

The state, however, could begin providing financial incentives for local agencies that participate in 287(g) under Tennessee's new immigration enfacement division.

Craddock said Sumner County is not receiving any state grants or financial benefits tied to immigration enforcement at this time, but he does plan to pursue any available grants in the future.

Gov. Bill Lee last month appointed a new immigration czar, Ryan Hubbard , to head the division as the state's first chief immigration enforcement officer. Hubbard, who spent 28 years in immigration enforcement, previously served as a special agent with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

For years, Greene and Hamilton counties were among the only local state agencies participating in 287(g), but more are now signing up in step with the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement. 

The number of gencies across the U.S. are now participating in 287(g), is skyrocketing and Florida has mandated that all agencies participate. As of April 9, ICE has agreements with more than 400 agencies in 38 states.

That number has climbed to 571 agencies in 39 states as of May 5.

This story was updated to add a gallery.  

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Sumner County signs on to Tennessee ICE enforcement program