Texas sheriffs embrace ICE partnership in dealing with illegals

Houston Chronicle:

Partnerships between federal immigration agents and local police have boomed in 2017 - growing to a whopping 59 agencies in 18 states, according to a large batch of new contracts recently posted on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's website.

Seventeen Texas sheriffs departments are now approved to partner in ICE's so-called 287(g) program - by far the most agencies of any state. By comparison, only three Texas departments partnered with ICE in 2016 - and Harris County, the largest of the three, dropped the program earlier this year citing costs and civil rights concerns.

Officers from all of the new partner agencies - including Galveston, Montgomery and Waller County sheriff's offices in the Houston suburbs - will receive additional training and computers they can use to cross-check immigration data banks for people who are arrested and processed in local jails for anything from a traffic ticket to murder.
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Texas now has by far the most partnerships of any state. By comparison just three Arizona law enforcement agencies currently have 287(g) partnership. Only the Orange County Sheriff's office currently partners with ICE in California.
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I suspect the States new law requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE has encouraged the acceptance of the program.  Failing to cooperate might result in criminal penalties and this is one way they can prove cooperation.

I think Gov. Abbott got their attention.