Letter to Rich Stanek, Hennepin County Sheriff - Department's Coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Letter
Dear Sheriff Stanek:
In response to numerous questions and concerns raised by my constituents regarding the level of coordination between your office and federal immigration agencies, I am seeking clarification and transparency as to the nature of your operations with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Hennepin County jail and detention facilities.
Your office has stated publicly that it does not enforce federal immigration law, but that it does cooperate with ICE in enforcing it. To clarify how Hennepin County local law enforcement is assisting federal immigration efforts, I respectfully request your response to these questions by COB Friday, July 28, 2017.
1. What access to Hennepin County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) inmate databases and other booking information does ICE receive? How regularly is this information provided, and on what grounds?
2. Please list the questions that all detainees booked at Hennepin County jails and detention facilities are asked as part of standard intake procedures, as well as the point in the process when ICE is notified, how they are notified, and how communication with ICE is tracked.
3. It was reported on July 7, 2017 that when HCSO deputies book inmates, they ask inmates for their country of birth and citizenship information. On what legal basis are your deputies soliciting this information from people booked at your facilities? What notification, if any, is given to inmates about whether they are required to submit this information?
4. The same report stated that with foreign-born inmates, HCSO deputies call ICE and sometimes put that inmate on the phone with an ICE agent or bring ICE to question them in-person. What notification, if any, are detainees given that they are not required to speak with ICE, either over the phone or in-person?
5. What percentage of detainees who are interviewed by ICE at your office receive legal representation during or prior to these interrogations?
6. How and when does transfer of detainees to ICE custody happen? Please describe the chain of actions that HCSO takes to facilitate transfer of HCSO detainees to ICE custody.
7. In 2016, how many total estimated hours did HCSO staff spend assisting ICE, or other federal immigration enforcement agencies?
8. Hennepin County is estimated to have spent nearly $1.5 million on detaining undocumented immigrants in 2015 alone, according to the National Institute of Corrections and the Department of Justice. What is the estimated overall cost of HCSO staff time spent assisting ICE and other federal agencies with federal immigration enforcement for the current fiscal year?
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