Westmoreland sheriff ends ICE partnership, vows to continue to assist outside agencies
Sheriff James Albert signed an agreement with ICE last September.
By RICH CHOLODOFSKY
TribLive
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said Thursday his office has pulled out of a controversial agreement signed last year with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist the federal agency.
“This decision should not be interpreted as any change in the sheriff’s office willingness to work with federal, state or local law enforcement partners. The Westmoreland County sheriff’s office will continue to cooperate with and assist all law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whenever assistance is requested and our resources are available,” Albert said in a prepared statement.
Albert signed an agreement with ICE last September to enable sheriff’s deputies to serve as backup to immigration enforcement activities in the county.
The partnership with ICE fell under the agency’s “Jail Enforcement Model,” which according to the government’s website allows officers to “identify and process removable aliens” detained in local facilities who have pending or active criminal charges.
In recent months, Albert defended the agreement but said his deputies had not been deployed to assist ICE. He added that none of his staff had undergone required training needed before local law enforcement could serve as backup to immigration agents.
Albert on Thursday said the decision to abandon the formalized partnership with ICE was based “solely on the fact that the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office does not own, operate or manage the county prison.”
The county commissioners first learned of the sheriff’s partnership this year and immediately sought to have it terminated after a TribLive report disclosed the agreement. Commissioners claimed Albert did not have the authority to sign on to a partnership with an out-of-county agency and claimed the arrangement was unenforceable.
Commissioners also said they were never formally informed by the sheriff that the partnership with ICE was terminated.
“We weren’t notified. I just happened to look at the ICE website,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said of the sheriff’s decision to end the pact with ICE. “I would like to think common sense prevailed, but I think the sheriff finally realized that it was not applicable. So it’s extremely frustrating we went through this whole dance with the sheriff’s office, but I am grateful that common sense prevailed.”
Commissioner Doug Chew said his opposition to the sheriff’s ICE partnership was primarily aimed at the process by which it came to be rather than the office’s role in potentially assisting the federal agency.
“I’ve said all along that the sheriff doesn’t need an agreement to assist other law enforcement agencies,” Chew said. “The sheriff will assist other law enforcement agencies if called upon.”
Albert said his deputies remain willing to assist ICE and other outside law enforcement efforts.
“As we have previously stated, the sheriff’s office does not need a written agreement to assist ICE,” Albert wrote in a text. “We will continue to respond to requests for assistance just as we do with any other law enforcement agency when those requests are within our legal authority and our agency has the personnel and resources available to provide that assistance.”
The sheriff said he will review and evaluate other cooperation models with ICE but current personnel and budgetary concerns prevent any immediate deals from being signed.
According to ICE’s website, 206 law enforcement entities in Pennsylvania are partnered with the federal agency, including the Springdale and Stowe police departments in Allegheny County and constables in Unity and Lower Burrell in Westmoreland County.
ICE also has assistance agreements with six law enforcement agencies in Beaver County, three in Armstrong, two in Washington and one each in Lawrence and Butler counties.
