Sheriffs in Page, Greene still helping ICE, as 287(g) agreements are set to expire

The elected sheriffs in Greene County and Page County are squeezing every last ounce out of their precious anti-immigrant 287(g) agreements before a new state law goes into effect next week effectively barring local police departments and sheriff’s offices from working with ICE.

Cville Weekly reported on Tuesday that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office conducted an immigration enforcement operation in the vicinity of the intersection of Route 29 and Route 33 in Ruckersville on Tuesday.

This is after we saw reporting from local TV station WHSV last week about ongoing anti-immigrant operations in Page County involving the Page County Sheriff’s Office and ICE agents under the auspices of a 287(g) agreement.

The sheriff’s offices in the two localities are, not surprisingly, not commenting.

The state law that goes into effect on July 1 imposes strict conditions on the 287(g) agreements between local police departments and sheriff’s offices and ICE – the key provision being, restricting informal collaboration with ICE without a judicial warrant.

Translation: the practice of having ICE agents riding shotgun with local police and deputies, which was used in the operations in Greene and Page that we’re highlighting in this story, are prohibited effective July 1.

That’s how the new law works – the ICE agents can’t tag along on BS enforcement operations, often run under the guise of speed enforcement, where the speed limit is only enforced on Brown people.

Along with the folks in Greene County and Page County, the only other local law enforcement agency in our immediate area with an active 287(g) agreement in place is the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.

I was shocked to find that out when I did the fact-checking there.

That’s a lot of local Republican sheriffs deciding not to play ball with the Trump regime.

Predictably, the Trumpers are trying to challenge the prohibition on 287(g) agreements.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced that it had filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state law effectively barring the existing agreements.

The way things have been going for the Trump administration in court of late, I’d say, good luck on that one.