ICE lists Clark County as ‘non-cooperative’ on immigration

Foreign nationals being arrested during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Feb. 7, 2017. (Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency again listed Clark County among the top “non-cooperative jurisdictions” in enforcing federal immigration laws this week.

The public shaming by the agency occurred on the same day county Sheriff Joseph Lombardo was in Washington, D.C., to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Homeland Security on immigration issues.

ICE’s second weekly report on jurisdictions that declined immigration detainers — requests for local jails to hold potentially deportable inmates for up to 48 hours — listed Clark County as having the fourth highest number of detainers issued for the week of Feb. 4-10. ICE submitted 54 detainer requests to Clark County that week, it said.

As was the case with its first weekly report, the agency did not explicitly state that those requests were denied, saying only it “expects these detainers to reflect as declined … in future weekly reports.”

Los Angeles County, also considered a “non-cooperative jurisdiction” by ICE, had the most detainer requests for week 2, with 162.

The weekly reports are required by an executive order issued in January by President Donald Trump.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which operates the Clark County Detention Center where the lack of cooperation allegedly occurs, called the first report unfair and inaccurate. The Police Department has said it has been cooperating with the feds this year, although in years past it has not.

Lombardo was in Washington with Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell on Wednesday to meet with the DHS, which oversees ICE, and Sessions about immigration enforcement.