Office oj Stf1le alld Locol CoordilllJlion

U.S. Dcpartmcnl of Homeland Sccuril)'

425 I Street. NW
Washington. DC 20536

U.s. Immigration
and Customs
Enforcement

Sberiff P.J. Tanner

Soutb Carolina Sheriffs Association JUN 24 2008
112 West Park Boulevard
Columbia, South Carolina 29210

Dear SheliffTanner:

Tha.llk you for your letter on behalf of the South Carolina Shcl"i'ff's Association expressing
interest in partnering with the U.S. Immigyation and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to develop a
statewide 287(g) Delegation of AuthOlity program.

As the largest investigative agency within the Depal1ment of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE is
charged with protecting national security and ensuring public safety through the aggressive
enforcement of federal immigration and customs laws across the more than 3.5 million square
miles that make up our great nation. ICE recognizes, however that we share the responsibility
of ensuring public safety with over 775 ,000 state and local law enforcement officers. One way
ICE addresses this joint goal is by building partnerships with state and local law enforcement
agencies (LEAs). To facilitate these partnersilips and work more closely witb our state and local
counterparts, ICE launched the comprehensive Agreements of Cooperation in Conununities to
Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS) program in 2007.

ICE ACCESS serves to provide state and local LEAs an opportunity to partner wit}l ICE to
specificall y combat the immigration and customs enforcement challenges 0 f their communities.
To accompLish tilis, ICE ACCESS offers an umbrella of services and programs to assist local
LEAs \\lith interior enforcement issues. The 287(g) program that your letter referenced is only
one such component. Other programs that fall witllin the purview of ICE ACCESS include: the
Customs Cross-Designation (Title 19) Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces, Ule Law
Enforcement Support Center (LESC), Operation Community Shield, the Criminal Alien Program
(CAP), Fugitive Operations, and Rapid Repatriation.

As discussed at the initial meeting on May 29 , 2008 between representatives 6:0111 ICE and the
South Carolina Steering COl11lTlittee in Columbia, South Carolina, there are many services under
the umbrella of ICE ACCESS that would benefit both South Carolina and rCE's mission
priorities. I am pleased to share with you the following partnership opportunities thal ICE
proposes to develop with South Carolina law enforcement:

Criminal Alien Program (CAP)

The primary objective of the ICE Office of Detention and Remova l Operations ' (DRO) Criminal
Alien Program is to identify and remove from the United States all criminal aliens in custody at
federal state and local detention facilities. The CAP program strives to ensure that all
incarcerated foreign-born nationals are screened and, where applicable processed for removal
from the United States. All aliens identified to be amenable to removal proceedings will be
processed for removal from the United States.

ICE proposes implementing a CAP Surge operation in South Caroli.na beginni.n g in late
June 2008 to identify every illegal alien in custody at the six county detention facilities listed
below. In addition, this Surge operation will provide all parties involved with a more accurate
assessment of the criminal illegal alien population detained in faciJitie in B eaufort, Charleston,
Spartanburg, Richland, Lexington and Greenville Counties.

www.icc.gov
Correspondence to SheriffPJ.
SheriffP.J. Tanner, South Carolina Sheriff's
ShcriWs Association
Page 2 of2

Secure Communities Plan (SCP)

comprehensive blueprint to streamline the way LEAs identify and remove
ICE's SCP is a comprehcnsive
criminal aliens. It is a multi-year initiative that will allow ICE and local LEAs to morc
more
identify. arrest.
effectively identify. arrest, detain. and remove criminal
criminal aliens
alicns incarcerated in Federal. state, and
local prisons and jails. SCP will revolutionize immigration enforcement by using technology to
share information between LEAs and by applying risk-based
ri sk-based methodologies
mcthodologies to focus resources
on assisting local communities to remove high-risk criminal aliens.

ICE proposes the use of expanded integration technology to ensure that high-risk criminal aliens
incarcerated in South Caro
Carolina
lina are identified and removed from the United States instead of
being releascd
released back into the community. ICE will continue to work closely with South Carolina
LEAs to assess those areas most in need of this initiative. The goal will bc be to implement the SCP
in areas identified as having a critical need first, with a long-term
long-tenn objective of attaining statewide
coverage,
coverage.

Rapid Removal of Eligible Parolees Accepted for Transfer (Rapid REPAT)

T ransfer (R.apid
The Rapid REPA
REPAT T Program provides a way for tor states
stales to partner with ICE so that non-violent
criminal aliens serving state sentences can receive early conditional release if they cooperate in
their deportation and agree not to return 10
thcirdeportation to the United States,
States. Rapid REPA
REPAT T not only reduces Ihe
thc
burden placed on the taxpayer, but also ensures Ihat
that criminal illegal
illcgal aliens
alicns are
arc promptly removed
from the United
Unitcd States.

detennined thai
It has been detennincd that legislation will not be needed to implement the program in South
Carolina, A draft Memorandum of Agreement was forwarded to South Carolina State
Carolina. Stale officials
on May 14. 2008, and subsequent meetings are
14.2008, arc expected to follow as early as next week between
the South Carolina Department of Corrections and the South Carolina Pardons and Parole Board
to discuss
10 di scuss how this program may work for your stale.
state,

ICE also proposes holding monthly meetings with the Steering Committec.
Comminec. South Carolina
Department of Corrcctions,
Corrections, and the South Carolina Parole Service to implement the Rapid
REPA
REP AT program, as soo
soonn as possible.

r?u~~~~f.!,a national law enforcemcnt

~~~;'!c~~~la enforcement initiative that conjoins ICE 's
law enforcement authorities in the fight against violent transnational street gangs. OCS is part of
a comprehensive approach of workworking
ing with our law enforcement partners at the Federal, state
and local level in the
thc United States and abroad to develop an integrated approach in conducting
criminal investigations
invcstigations and other law enforcement operations against violent street gangs.
Through these partnerships, violent street gangs are identified and intelligence
intelli gence is gathered on
their membership, associates, criminal activities, and international movements. The goal ofOCS
is to deter.
deter, disrupt, and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons. and
other assets derived from criminal activities while seeking the prosecution and/or
andlor removal of
gang members from the United States_
States. ICE proposes conducting a series ofOCS operations
members, ICE will
throughout the state of South Carolina during this summer, targeting gang members.
coordinate with and seek input from multiple local LEAs in South
Soulh Carolina to ensure that the
most egregious violators are being targeted
-Illank you again for your interest in ICE ACCESS
Thank ACCESS., It is through strategic discussions and efforts
thc5C Ihat
such as these that strong partnerships between state and local law enforccment
enforcemcnt agencies and ICE
can be developed.

Sincerely .
.
~el.)
~et.) Jim Pendcrgra
Executive Director
Office of Slate ICE.10.1221.000749
State and Local Coordination