The Trump administration is naming some names in its efforts to shame local jails that don’t cooperate with immigration authorities. It’s putting the spotlight on Travis County, Texas, home of liberal Austin.
(FOX)- The administration released a list of 206 cases of immigrants released from custody before federal agents could intervene. Roughly two-thirds were from Travis County.
The release of the list by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was prompted by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January. That order called on the government to document which local jurisdictions aren’t cooperating with federal efforts to find and deport immigrants in the country illegally.
Trump has made immigration a key issue in his administration and has promised to deport “bad dudes” living in the United States illegally.
The report highlights a variety of crimes, including the case of a Jamaican national in Philadelphia charged with homicide, along with multiple sex offenses, assaults and driving under the influence cases. The majority of the immigrants whose cases are highlighted are from Mexico or Central America.
The Travis County cases also include a mix of convictions and charges ranging from drunken driving to aggravated assault and sexual assault.
Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, a Democrat, was elected last fall after campaigning on refusing to comply with immigration detainers in cases where people were arrested on minor offenses unrelated to their being in the country illegally.
Detainers are government requests that an immigrant who could face deportation be turned over to immigration authorities.