ACLU Louisiana sees Gov. Landry’s ICE order as more ‘racial profiling’

Gov. Jeff Landry’s directive to link state law enforcement agencies with federal immigration enforcement is a move toward more illegal policing, a civil rights group leader says. 

Landry issued an executive order this week, which he tabbed “Operation Geaux,” that calls for state agencies to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 287(g) program. It’s part of a federal law approved in 1996 that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate its power to enforce federal laws to state and local police agencies.

Louisiana is one of 40 states with active 287(g) agreements with ICE. Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island and Vermont have no such agreements in place. California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut have banned them in their respective state laws.

Landry joined ICE officials Thursday to sign the order authorizing the agreement, which he has dubbed Operation Geaux. According to a news release from the governor’s office, it will include “enhanced screening, aggressive identification, and a massive public awareness campaign that is going to wake people up. This isn’t just talk—it’s action. And it’s happening now.”

“If you’re here illegally and you engage in criminal activity, you are going to be deported or sent to jail,” Landry said in the statement.. “Operation Geaux is the kind of historic, one-of-a-kind partnership that the Trump Administration is looking for to fulfill the President’s promises of restoring law and order! Making America Safe Again.”

Alanah Odoms, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, said in a statement Friday her group opposes Operation Geaux. 

“This blatant targeting of the immigrant population continues to exacerbate racial profiling, instill fear in communities, and put disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown people into the deportation pipeline,” Odoms said. “Moreover, the majority of agencies participating in this program have documented records of civil rights abuses, including beatings and killings.”

As of Friday, ICE had signed 571 memorandums of agreement for 287(g) programs in the 40 participating states. They include 91 Jail Enforcement Model (JEM) agreements, which indicate local detention centers will identify, process and help ICE remove non-citizens with criminal or pending criminal charges. There are 12 more JEM agreements pending, according to ICE.

Another 205 law enforcement agencies in 32 states have agreed to take part in ICE’s Warrant Service Office (WSO) program, which allows the federal agencies to train, certify and authorize state and local police to serve and execute warrants on unauthorized immigrants. There are 29 pending WSO agreements as well.

ICE has also reached Task Force Model agreements with 275 police agencies in 28 states. TFMs are described as “as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties,” according to the ICE website. Another 51 TFM agreements were pending as of Friday.  

The only Louisiana law enforcement agencies ICE listed as 287(g) program participants are the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Kenner Police Department. Both had reached Jail Enforcement Model agreements with the federal government. The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office is listed as having a pending Task Force Model agreement.

No state law enforcement agencies in Louisiana are listed in the ICE 287(g) participant or pending records, though the Landry administration has said Louisiana State Police and the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections it falls under will join the program. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is also expected to sign an 287(g) agreement as well.

State Police assisted ICE with a raid at the Port of Lake Charles in March, when 11 employees of a port contractor were arrested for allegedly not having legal status to work in the U.S.

Former LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan joined Landry when he signed his executive order. She’s now ICE deputy director, having previously worked as an aide for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when the latter was governor of South Dakota.