President Trump recently announced his administration is taking a proactive approach to targeting – and deporting – illegal immigrants living in the United States.
And while a federal program allows for the Dept. of Homeland Security to train local and state law enforcement officers to work as de facto federal immigration officers, no officers locally in Delaware say they’re participating.
Delaware locals like Georgetown’s Chief of Police R. L. Hughes says he personally doesn’t want his officers involved with immigration enforcement.
“Immigration is a federal – something that a federal agency should be handling," Hughes said. "That is not for local, municipal, county and in some state- state police.”
Delaware State Police and New Castle County police - as well as police in Wilmington Elsmere, Seaford - say they aren’t involved with immigration enforcement either.
Hughes adds there haven’t been any ICE sweeps in Georgetown yet.
“I’ve also asked our folks in ICE – that if they’re going to be doing an operation, I’d like to know about it," Hughes said.
Hughes says it isn’t Georgetown PD’s policy to actively pursue undocumented immigrants. He says that even if an undocumented resident is pulled over for a minor traffic infraction or similar issue – they won’t be arrested because they’re undocumented.
Instead, he's working to establish more trust with residents.
“And we want people to report when they are victims of crime," Hughes said. "If they feel we’re the immigration or are going to deport them just because they come forward and tell us about a crime, that crime is going to continue until we stop it.”
Hughes adds he’s noticed some are afraid to get fingerprinted for Driver ID card – for fear it might lead to deportation.
To address this fear – Hughes is working to hire a more diverse workforce to better reflect Georgetown’s large Latino and Hispanic communities.
