Some suburban police chiefs are blasting Sheriff Tom Dart & the Cook County Board’s decision to release from jail suspected illegal immigrants before the feds can take custody and possibly deport them.
The West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association sent a strongly worded letter this week to Board President Toni Preckwinkle, asking that she and county commissioners “rescind” the new policy, passed by a 10-5 voter on Sept. 7.
The measure allows Cook County Jail officials to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests to hold an about-to-be released inmate for up to 48 hours so federal authorities can take them in to custody, question them about suspected immigration violations or even start deportation proceedings.
“I strongly disagree with the Cook County Board decision to not detain illegal immigrants on federal immigration detainers,” Thomas Q. Wetzel, Riverside’s police chief and president of the west suburban police chiefs association wrote. “This is setting a dangerous precedent for the public and law enforcement in the greater Cook County area.”
In the past, the County Jail complied with federal immigration requests to hold inmates — behind bars on unrelated local charges — for up to 48 hours after posting bond, charges were dropped or the inmate was otherwise free to leave jail.
But following a recent ruling by a federal judge in Indiana, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office issued an opinion that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers should be considered requests, not warrants.
Immigration rights groups and several County Board members, citing the court ruling, pushed for passage of the new policy.
But the police group points to a Sun-Times story detailing how Eduardo Sanchez was arrested and charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, posted bond and walked out of jail like anyone else — even though a federal detainer had been placed on him.
Honoring the detainer requests, Wetzel said by phone, would mean keeping someone accused of punching and elbowing a Chicago police officer behind bars a little longer. Refusal to honor the requests will embolden illegal immigrants to resist arresting officers and possibly resort to violence.
“It empowers them to have less respect for officers and be less respectful of officers on the street,” he said.
Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a lead sponsor of the county ordinance, calls the federal detainers “flawed” and expensive and said the police group’s belief that waves of criminals are now filling the streets — rather than being turned over to federal authorities — is “false.”
“It’s a flawed program, most of the people they [federal authorities] put on detainer before this ordinance weren’t even being apprehended” and questioned by immigration authorities, Garcia said, recalling a conversation he had with an immigration agent.
Asked whether there’s a movement afoot to reverse the policy, Garcia said: “I don’t think so.”
Preckwinkle called Wetzel — a bit peeved that his letter went public. She agreed to meet with him at a later date to talk about his concerns.
“She called up and expressed a desire to meet with him,” said Kurt Summers, Preckwinkle’s chief of staff. “She wanted him to know on issues this important, if you want to find a solution you pick up the phone and work together.”
