Law enforcement in Bristol County, Massachusetts will now be able to investigate the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants in custody.
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is expected to sign an agreement with the federal government which will allow his officers to interview suspected illegal immigrants in police custody and better hand them over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation, according to the Sun Chronicle.
Hodgson said the agreement entails his officers being trained in how to handle immigration matters with suspected illegal immigrants.
The agreement gives Bristol County law enforcement access to a federal database where they can check if a suspected illegal immigrant is wanted for another crime or has returned to the U.S. after being previously deported.
Hodgson said the agreement will make local and federal cooperation on the immigration front more efficient.
“This way we would not have a delay,” Hodgson told the Sun Chronicle. “We could do it right away.”
Neighboring Plymouth County is also expected to sign an agreement with federal immigration authorities.
Hodgson has become a staunch supporter of President-Elect Donald Trump’s immigration proposals. Weeks ago, the Bristol County Sheriff voiced support for Trump’s plan to build a southern border wall, as Breitbart News reported.
Hodgson offered county inmates as laborers to help build the wall, saying “I can think of no other project that would have such a positive impact on our inmates and our country than building this wall.”
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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