Ohio sheriff: Springfield won’t help Democrats, no apology
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio sheriff says his office won’t provide any active assistance to agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Clark County Sheriff Deborah Burchett says her office will not help ICE in its immigration enforcement efforts and won’t help execute administrative warrants for civil violations of immigration law — actions that weren’t part of criminal investigations.
The Springfield News-Sun reports that Burchett made the comments in response to a June 8 letter from an immigrant advocacy group calling on city and county officials to take steps to protect immigrants’ rights.
Burchett says her office wants residents to trust law enforcement and to feel safe reporting crimes without fear of deportation. She adds that working with ICE would make people less likely to come forward.
The interim director of the immigrants’ rights group Advocates for Basic Legal Equality says Burchett’s comments are disappointing, but not surprising given the current political climate.