Frederick County, MD Sheriff Chuck Jenkins accused the federal government of taking illegal aliens who have committed crimes and “releasing the back onto our streets,” and argued that the lack of enforcement is “political” on Thursday’s “Laura Ingraham Show.”
“What they’re doing is taking people who we’ve arrested on local and state charges here in Frederick County, once they’ve served their sentences, they’re adjudicated where we turn them over to ICE, instead of deporting, they’re releasing them back onto our streets…this president, this administration is not protecting our country” he said.
Jenkins added that the failure to deport illegal aliens who have committed crimes is motivated by political purposes, stating “absolutely it is political. Let me tell you, here in Frederick County, for over six years now, I’ve participated with Homeland Security and ICE through the 287 program … that’s a partnership where local law enforcement, any sheriff, any chief through an MOU or an agreement can partner with ICE and basically take on the responsibility of assisting in immigration enforcement, we’re a force multiplier, if you will for the feds…now because of this administration, the actual purpose and the effectiveness of the 287 program for removals is being watered down.”
He also reported that his county in rural Maryland was experiencing problems with criminal gangs from Central America, “right here in Frederick County, a rural, farm county, 60 minutes from Washington. We have a fairly significant presence of MS-13, Latin Kings, the Mexican Mafia, 18th Street. All the gangs that you see that are embedded in our large cities, our large metropolitan areas that filtered out into our communities, our counties and they are committing crimes.”
He further declared “we are experiencing a heroin crisis all over the country…in Frederick County we are seeing a horrific increase in the use of heroin, overdose deaths. And where does the heroin come from, it comes from our southern borders, and yet we refuse to shut them down.”
Jenkins said this constituted an “invasion of the criminal element, the drug traffickers, the human traffickers…we’ve got terrorist cells that come across our border. ISIS, I was told back in July, is coming across our border.” And that “the problem of the criminal gangs, the drug trafficking, the human trafficking is just enormous.”
He warned, “if we don’t stop it [the influx of illegal immigrants] on the border, every county is going to become a border county.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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