Carmel, NY – With recent events highlighting the need for better working relationships between federal and local enforcement agencies, U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-Dover Plains) is hosting 2 local training sessions that will help facilitate their communications. Hall is bringing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to the Hudson Valley for training sessions with local police on August 4. These training sessions are designed to inform local law enforcement officials how to work most effectively with ICE regarding detention and deportation. ICE is the primary federal agency charged with detaining and deporting criminals who are found to be in the United States illegally.

 

"Providing our local police with information about how to most effectively and efficiently work with the federal agency in charge of immigration enforcement will enhance their ability to keep our neighborhoods safe and secure," stated Congressman Hall. "I want to make sure that local law enforcement has all the tools they need at their disposal. These training sessions will present our local law enforcement community with the different ways ICE can help them when they have detained a criminal who is potentially not in our country legally. If a local law enforcement officer calls ICE to check the immigration status of a detained suspect, ICE can typically confirm the immigration status in less than an hour."

 

Different Hudson Valley counties are using ICE's services at an uneven rate. Over the past nine months, Putnam County has contacted ICE to check on the status of a detained criminal only two times. Dutchess County has called ten times, while Orange County has checked 142 times, Rockland County 235 times, and Westchester County has checked on 589 suspects.
 
The training sessions will be held on Tuesday, August 4 in Goshen and in Carmel.

 

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