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Beloit Police Chief Pledges to Not Always Cooperate With ICE

Beloit Police Chief Andre Sayles is pledging not to cooperate with ICE when illegal immigrants are arrested for committing crimes in many instances because his Police Department’s is “progressive policing.”

The chief says he’ll only cooperate with ICE in cases involving violent felonies, gangs, terrorism, or previous deportations.

What does that leave out? It means he won’t cooperate with ICE when illegal immigrants commit misdemeanor crimes (including domestic violence, battery, some drunk driving cases, and so on), as well as non-violent felonies (like theft or forgery). It’s also unclear how the chief defines “any violent felony.” For example, would a felon possessing a firearm qualify as a “violent felony”? He doesn’t say.

This statement comes even though voters, during the November election, essentially made it clear that they want stricter immigration enforcement by electing President Donald Trump.

The chief made the announcement on January 2 on the department’s Facebook page. His weak stance on illegal immigration comes as Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, said it’s “a felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities. It’s also a felony to impede a federal law enforcement officer.” Homan made the comments in reference to the Denver mayor, saying he’s willing to jail local officials who don’t cooperate with the incoming administration’s deportation plans.

The page Libs of TikTok skewered the Beloit police for its stance. It also comes as the U.S. House just voted to mandate the deportation of illegal immigrants in some cases; that measure still must be approved by the Senate, and it earned “no” votes from two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore.

In other words, the Beloit chief couldn’t be more tone-deaf, but apparently, he didn’t get the message that there has been a shift in public opinion.

Even so, Beloit Chief Andre Sayles has decided to go in the other direction, and he made it clear that he won’t cooperate with ICE even when illegal immigrants are arrested for committing some crimes. We’ve previously reported how a similar stance in Dane County has imperiled public safety as the sheriff there has refused to honor ICE holds for illegal immigrant criminals.

According to his bio, Sayles “was sworn in as Beloit’s 19th Police Chief on April 19, 2021. Sayles has an extensive background in community policing. He began his career with the Beloit Police Department in January of 2005, where he served as a sergeant,
lieutenant, captain and now chief.”

Beloit Police Chief Andrew Sayles Says a Person’s Illegal Immigration Status Is ‘Irrelevant’

“As we move into the new year, we’ve been made aware of several concerns from our community members. We are aware of fears among families about immigration status and immigration enforcement from the Beloit Police Department (BPD),” Sayles wrote. “Our mission is to create safe neighborhoods by reducing crime, fear, and disorder through community collaboration using honorable, progressive policing.”

Andre sayles
Andre sayles.

He declared that an “individual’s immigration status is irrelevant to our mission, vision, core values. BPD only consider immigration status when an officer has reasonable belief that an individual has committed serious crimes that directly impact public safety.”

Sayles added: “The enforcement of immigration laws is a responsibility primarily held by the federal government through the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Therefore, the BPD will not initiate any immigration-related investigations unless they involve a person suspected of serious crimes directly related to public safety, as defined below. We will not enter into Section 287(g) agreements under 8 U.S.C. § 1357, as such agreements do not align with our community policing philosophy.”

287g is a cooperation agreement between local jurisdictions and the federal government that delegates some immigration authority to the locals. The Waukesha County Jail has entered into a 287g agreement with ICE.

Beloit police insist they will cooperate with ICE requests only under the following circumstances:

• The individual is engaged in or suspected of terrorism or espionage;
• The individual is reasonably suspected of being involved in a criminal street gang;
• The individual is arrested for any violent felony;
• The individual is a previously deported felon and there is an independent basis for detaining or arresting them.

“Individuals’ rights to file police reports or access services from BPD are not contingent upon their citizenship or immigration status,” he claimed. “Our officers are committed to treating every person fairly and equitably, regardless of immigration status. Therefore, officers will not routinely inquire about the immigration status of individuals encountered during police interactions.”

Continued Sayles, “Additionally, officers will not request any individual to provide a passport, Alien Registration Card (Green Card), or other immigration documentation in the normal course of their duties. Officers may consider these documents as valid forms of identification if they are voluntarily presented by the individual.”

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