ICE Program has Public Safety in Mind

SMITH COUNTY — Eighteen Texas sheriffs, including Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, have signed up to participate in a federal immigration enforcement program that checks the immigration status of inmates in the county jail. Under the program, sheriff’s office personnel are trained so that people jailed locally and found to be in the country illegally can be held until federal agents decide if deportation is appropriate. ICE now has 60 active agreements, which is nearly double the number of active programs in 2016.