The mission of police is to protect our communities and keep them safe. Major Cities Chiefs is committed to protecting all our residents, both documented and undocumented. We have taken a solemn oath to serve the public, regardless of immigration status. This includes providing protection, responding to calls for service, being respectful of witnesses, bringing justice to victims, and arresting violent criminals – no matter which resident is involved and regardless of their immigration status. Police are here to defend and protect law-abiding residents and we will not shield anyone, regardless of their immigration status, who may commit crimes, inflict harm, violence, pain, and suffering in our communities.
As the surge of asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants has not abated, Major Cities Chiefs propose a roundtable discussion with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to clarify and confirm DHS immigration policies. We must resolve how federal agencies will operate in our cities and seek a better understanding of the federal government policy for how they will handle these immigrant populations, so that police chiefs can plan for how they will continue to protect all residents.
We are announcing the formation of an Immigration Working Group to address these issues. We call upon DHS to convene a roundtable with our new working group as soon as possible. This proposed roundtable would address:
- Current asylum crisis
- Communication of planned transportation of immigrants
- Capacity plan for housing, care, feeding, health, and safety of processed immigrants
- Identity of detained and transported persons
- Local response policies by ICE to take custody of undocumented immigrants
- Care of unaccompanied minors
- Federal Grant Conditions:
- Policies on civil detainers
- Notification of ICE for police release of subjects
- ICE admittance to local facilities
###
Major Cities Chiefs is a professional association of Chiefs and Sheriffs representing the largest cities in the United States and Canada. Membership is comprised of Chiefs and Sheriffs of the sixty-nine largest law enforcement agencies in the United States and nine largest in Canada.