Luna County Detention Center Administrator Matthew Elwell (Deming) – County jail administrators say they've gotten no direction on a now four-month-old Homeland Security plan targeting people suspected of immigration violations. Reportedly, the new plan replaces an old system that asked jails to hold people flagged for possible immigration violations. Individuals could be held for up to two days after they were eligible for release.
But San Juan and Dona Ana counties were among those sued over these “detainers.” Federal rulings say detainers are requests without the authority of an official judicial order.
Luna County Detention Center Director Matt Elwell, who chairs the New Mexico Association of Counties Detention Administrators Affiliate, said only one jail administrator out of 21 at a recent meeting in Ruidoso had been contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials about the new plan.
An ICE spokeswoman told the Albuquerque Journal that the agency has been in contact with sheriffs and now plans to brief county jail administrators on the new Priority Enforcement Program.
Since the program is voluntary, ICE officials are requesting cooperation from jail administrators.
Unlike other states that put sheriffs in charge of county jails, New Mexico's county-hired administrators run the facilities and can notify ICE that an inmate of interest is headed for release.
Metropolitan Detention Center spokeswoman Nataura Powdrell said in an email that they do notify ICE after an inmate has been released but cannot hold them on this document once the local cases are cleared.
But San Juan and Dona Ana counties were among those sued over these “detainers.” Federal rulings say detainers are requests without the authority of an official judicial order.
Luna County Detention Center Director Matt Elwell, who chairs the New Mexico Association of Counties Detention Administrators Affiliate, said only one jail administrator out of 21 at a recent meeting in Ruidoso had been contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials about the new plan.
An ICE spokeswoman told the Albuquerque Journal that the agency has been in contact with sheriffs and now plans to brief county jail administrators on the new Priority Enforcement Program.
Since the program is voluntary, ICE officials are requesting cooperation from jail administrators.
Unlike other states that put sheriffs in charge of county jails, New Mexico's county-hired administrators run the facilities and can notify ICE that an inmate of interest is headed for release.
Metropolitan Detention Center spokeswoman Nataura Powdrell said in an email that they do notify ICE after an inmate has been released but cannot hold them on this document once the local cases are cleared.
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