Immigration Q&A session held in Tyler

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, many people at a Smith County Immigration Q&A session in Tyler on Thursday were confused about the role of local sheriff’s offices as ICE raids have been reported across the country and in Texas. The Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith, reiterated that his deputies are not going into communities to look for people who are in the county illegally.

“We don’t go in Super 1 or Brookshire’s or any other Albertsons or Walmart looking for people to detain. If I’m in there, I’m looking for a dozen eggs or something else or something to eat. We don’t, we don’t profile people,” Smith said.

Sheriff Smith said Smith county is a part of the program but will only abide by the program if the level of offense is a class ” B” and above.

“A DWI or another class B misdemeanor is what I picked to through our ICE detention process,” Smith said. “Anything that are above, we will run their fingerprints once they’re incarcerated and determine whether or not they’re here illegally.”

You can watch the full Immigration Q&A Session here.