Joins Other Sheriffs To Support Immigration Law Reform
By Doug La Rocque
The Rensselaer County Sheriff spent part of last week in the nation’s capital, meeting with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress to discuss proposed immigration law reforms and boarder security. Sheriff Russo was part of a delegation of 44 Sheriffs from across the country (the only one from New York state) that in his words “went down there to send a message to Congress that we have to take action to reform the immigration laws.”
The group took part in a roundtable discussion with White House officials and policymakers, as well as members of Congress. According to the Sheriff’s statement, “It was our intention to tell Congress that America’s Sheriffs are elected by the people in their communities to keep them safe, and that the continued inaction of Congress in dealing with these issues has put a major roadblock in law enforcement’s path to protecting our citizens and legal residents.” Sheriff Russo is advocating for stricter immigration laws, so, as he has stated, “illegal drugs and other criminal activity stops coming into the United States.”
In late 2017 the sheriff entered into an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), called the 287(g) program, that allows trained corrections officers at the county jail to receive delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions. Sheriff Russo is the only Sheriff in New York State to have entered into the agreement with ICE, a move that Democratic members of the County Legislature have twice introduced a resolution urging the Sheriff to reverse. That resolution, has not cleared legislature’s Public Safety Committee, thusly it has not made it to the floor for a full legislative vote.