Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 Tuesday for the sheriffās office to continue participating in a federal immigration enforcement program.
Since 2017, Tarrant County has partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in itsĀ Section 287(g)Ā public safety program, named after the applicable section of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act. The programās Jail Enforcement Model, in which Tarrant participates, is designed to āidentify and process removable aliens with criminal or pending criminal charges who are arrestedā by state or local law enforcement authorities.Ā Local authorities check the immigration status of inmates who have committed a Class B misdemeanor or higher offense after they have been booked into jail.
In a repeat of last weekās public comments, representatives of leftist organizationsāa number donning t-shirts with custom designed logos of their organizationsāappeared in commissioners court Tuesday to protest renewal of the program.
āToday we have the new Jim Crow,ā added Elizabeth Moldonado, agreeing with others who claimed the 287(g) program is racially motivated and unfairly targets minority communities.
āWe are not conducting any type of raids or exercises,ā Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told commissioners in response to the claims. āWe are not conducting racial profiling.ā
A number of others came out in support of renewing the countyās agreement with ICE.
āIām a Hispanic. Iām not in fear, because Iām a U.S.A. citizen,ā said Ruben Salinas of Denton County, speaking in favor of the 287(g) program. āItās simply an issue about public safety and the rule of law.ā
At one point, County Judge Glen Whitley had a back-and-forth with Giovanni Martinez of ICE Out of Tarrant, after Martinez recounted his arrest for possession and subsequent detention by ICE. During a series of questions, Martinez admitted to Whitley and the commissioners that he was processed, released, and has a future court date to resolve his immigration status next year, while the possession case he was originally arrested for was resolved.
āSo, I guess, to some extent, the system worked,ā Whitley observed.
āThe system worked for who?ā asked Precinct 1 Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks. āIt criminalized an immigration violation. An immigration offense is not a criminal offense. Itās a civil offense.ā
Later, Precinct 4 Commissioner J.D. Johnson, while stating that his office had received threats over this vote, pointed out that Brooks had originally voted in favor of 287(g) in 2017. āI repent of that vote,ā Brooks replied.
Another argument leveled against 287(g) was the cost to taxpayers, one that Brooks agreed with, in light of the enactment of Senate Bill 2. The law puts in place next year an automatic election trigger on property tax increases over 3.5 percent for most cities and counties, including Tarrant.
āThat 3.5 percent hard cap on our revenues is going to have to force us to make some serious decisions about what we must do, about what we can do, about what we can afford to do,ā Brooks said.
However, data from the Tarrant Appraisal District disputes there being a revenue problem, as the average property tax bill for single-family homes increased 31 percent over the past five years, and last week the commissioners voted unanimously to hand out a property tax abatement to a big business.
āWeāre part of the 50 percent who pay taxes,ā said Tarrant County resident Marie Howard, arguing that the costs of illegal immigration are reason enough to enforce American immigration laws.
āI know that the fear exists among many of those estimated 300,000 folks, and for that Iām very, very sorry,ā Whitley said, adding he blames Congress for failing to fully address the immigration issue adequately and believes there should be a path to citizenship. But he agreed with ICEās 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model and the process of checking the immigration status of those who have committed Class B misdemeanors or above.
āI believe that we need to go through that process,ā Whitley said.
After the vote, the room erupted into shouting as those opposing 287(g) stood up, some holding signs, and walked out of the courtroom chanting, āAināt no power but the power of the people, cause the power of the people donāt stop!ā
Whitley, Johnson, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes voted in favor of renewing the 287(g) partnership with ICE. Brooks and Precinct 2 Commissioner Devan Allen voted against.