(This article by Bob Audette was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on March 22, 2017.)
KEENE, N.H. — The sheriff of Cheshire County will not help agents from the Department of Homeland Security conduct “raids, stings or operations that are solely intended at locating an undocumented person or persons.”
In a press release to the media, Eli Rivera noted that any representative of DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting assistance from the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Office “must have an active criminal warrant issued by a judge or must be actively pursuing a criminal investigation that relates to public safety for us to participate.”
Rivera noted that it is “without dispute that the enforcement of immigration laws is the responsibility of the federal government and that the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Office does not have the authority or jurisdiction to enforce them.”
Rivera also noted that law enforcement agencies across the country are reviewing current practices and deciding whether they will enter or not enter into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to enforce immigration laws.
Deputies with the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Office will also not ask a person their immigration status or detain a person based on an administrative civil detainer that is not issued by a judge.
“As Sheriff, I do not want undocumented immigrants to fear the Sheriff’s Office,” wrote Rivera. “Instead I want them to be able to approach and speak to any of my deputies without the fear that they will be turned over to ICE. If in the course of our duties we happen to come across an undocumented person we will handle each encounter in a way we deem appropriate for each situation.”
Rivera also urged undocumented people in Cheshire County to contact him if they “feel uncertain about approaching law enforcement for fear they will turn you over to ICE …”
Rivera can be contacted at 603-352-4238 or erivera@ co.cheshire.nh.us.
