Las Vegas police renew partnership with ICE

The Metropolitan Police Department has renewed a controversial partnership with federal immigration officials that allows some corrections officers to start deportation proceedings against immigration violators.

The department was one of 67 law enforcement agencies nationwide last week to enter into the latest "287 (g)" agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Civil rights leaders have blasted the partnerships, which are named for the corresponding section of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, saying the agreements target Hispanics and could lead to racial profiling and make people afraid to report crimes.

Maggie McLetchie, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the ACLU was disappointed that the department had chosen to renew the partnership.

"Our concerns fell on deaf ears," she said.

The ACLU has concerns that the new version of the agreement "reduces record keeping and public accountability" by making 287 (g) data federal, rather than local, records, McLetchie said.

"The public won't know how the program is operating."

The ACLU also is concerned about the cost of the program, she said.

Metropolitan Police Department representatives did not return calls for comment Monday afternoon.

Sheriff Doug Gillespie has repeatedly insisted the partnership is meant to target violent criminals.

Las Vegas police first entered into the agreement with ICE in mid-November. During the first 10 months of the partnership, the department forwarded to immigration officials the names of 1,849 inmates who were determined to be in the country illegally.

An almost equal number of inmates also found to be in the country illegally were not referred to ICE because they had no violent criminal history, the department said earlier this month.

It's unknown how many local inmates were deported because of the partnership. ICE doesn't track removals that way, the agency said. Illegal immigrants referred to the agency by local law enforcement become part of ICE's larger caseload. Those cases can drag on for months or even years.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.