IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)—Many area migrants are concerned about being deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The immigration laws have long existed, but they are now being heavily enforced.
Local News 8 spoke with an Idaho Falls immigration expert, who wants to remain anonymous, about the deportations. The expert said he consults migrants on immigration rights.
The expert said many local services are carried out by immigrant workers in the Southeast Idaho area.
“Immigrants are the base for supporting businesses and services in our community,” the anonymous expert told Local News 8. “Construction, restaurants, service providers, landscaping, farming, hotels, and other services; A lot of those jobs are currently performed by immigrants.”
The expert says many clients want to know where they stand on ICE’s radar. They said ICE follows a pyramid-like structure in order of importance. The top priority is fugitives who have committed serious crimes. The second is people who have committed crimes and failed to appear in court. Third is “folks who have been denied asylum.” At the bottom are people who have been living in the U.S. who’ve committed no crime and who have gone undetected.
Debunked ICE sightings
In the past weeks, rumored sightings of ICE officials have circulated online. One social media group reported seeing an ICE vehicle in Pocatello. When Local News 8 asked to confirm the sighting, Pocatello Police said ICE was not in the area and that the vehicle was an Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) truck, which looks similar.
According to regional law enforcement, the Jefferson County Jail is the only facility in Idaho to house illegal immigration holds.
Law enforcement position on the Immigration Crisis
Local News 8 reached out to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office to find out how they will respond
“We’re of course going to do our part to follow the law and work with our federal partners on immigration-related matters and people that come into our jail facility in particular,” Sgt. Bryan Lovell told Local News 8. “We run through those detainer processes, the same as we have done for years and years.”
The position of the Sheriff’s office was further explained in a letter from the Idaho Association of Sheriffs, outlining their response to the immigration crisis.
“The Biden-Harris Administration enacted policies and issued executive orders that subverted immigration law and set in motion the most catastrophic, unlawful immigration crisis in our nation’s history,” writes ISA leadership in part. “These misguided policies have created victims at many levels of our society, and the realities of those crimes are just beginning to be completely realized.”
“It is only through bipartisan unity and collaboration that the security and future of the citizens of Idaho and the United States can be obtained,” ends ISA leadership.
