Charges alleging abuse of power show need to end 287(g) immigration program
When the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins recently, it didn’t come as a surprise to see that Jenkins was charged with crimes related to abuse of power.
Read Staff Attorney, Nick Taichi Steiner's opinion piece published in the Frederick News-Post on May 31, 2023.
Take action to end ICE's racist 287(g) program
FILED: Federal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Frederick County Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Jenkins has misused and abused his office’s authority by stoking anti-immigrant hate. His office has a record of violating the civil rights of community members, and limiting transparency in policing policy and practices.
That is why the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Maryland filed a federal administrative complaint to request an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) into the propriety of continuing the 287(g) agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. Under the 287(g) agreement, ICE deputizes local officers to enforce federal immigration laws resulting in deportation and detention – despite the Sheriff’s Office misconduct. The ACLU filed this complaint in response to Sheriff Jenkins’ federal indictment on criminal charges, misuse of office, and poor civil rights record.
The ACLU is seeking CRCL to investigate:
- The sheriff’s misconduct, including his federal indictment on charges of conspiracy and making false statements, his misuse of office to stoke anti-immigrant racism, and his expressed belief in the supreme authority of sheriffs over state and federal government;
- racial disparities in local policing, reports of racial profiling, and other civil rights violations;
- inhumane conditions at the county jail; and
- limited transparency and accountability to the public by the Sheriff’s Office.
