ANDERSON — Over the past 16 months, officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have removed 32 people illegally in the country from Madison County.
Madison County Sheriff John Beeman said Monday that as of April 15, there were seven inmates at the county jail being held awaiting action by the federal agency.
He said the federal agency checks jail log and dispatch records to determine if an ICE warrant hold is enforced.
Beeman said local charges are first processed, and then the immigration hold is put into effect.
He said there are 700,000 warrants nationwide for illegal immigrants wanted on criminal charges.
Beeman said a hearing must take place before a determination is made on whether or not a person is in the country illegally.
He said the federal response has increased since President Donald Trump took office for his second term.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said there is more activity than in the past, which can be attributed to President Trump’s aggressive push to remove illegal immigrants.
“The federal government is taking a more aggressive role when it comes to people in this country illegally and committing crimes,” he said.
Cummings said if people who are here illegally are committing crimes, ICE will put a hold on them.
“It’s a federal enforcement and it’s their responsibility,” he said. “The sheriff is more closely involved.
“The way I see it right now is, ICE has a threshold crime,” Cummings said. “ICE is checking the jail log of every county on a daily basis.”
He said ICE is a federal law enforcement agency, and if they find someone who reaches the threshold, a hold is placed on them.
“They have a threshold of the kind of crimes or the amount of an illegal drug in a person’s possession,” he said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order in January directing all state agencies to work with ICE.
According to Braun’s order, state law enforcement groups are required to work with ICE and report credible evidence of “illegal aliens” to the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center if the person:
• Has a prior criminal history and/or is suspected of committing a felony
• Is suspected of engaging in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and/or terror-related activities
• Presents a significant threat to national security or public safety
The order applies to every state-level law enforcement agency, including the Indiana State Police and the law enforcement divisions of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Department of Correction, and the Indiana Gaming Commission.
The order does not directly apply to local and county law enforcement, but includes language encouraging such agencies to follow the state’s lead.