“We as a city, and I speak on behalf of the police department, simply do not have the resources to investigate these types of crimes ourselves without the help of federal expertise. “Without this task force, we do not have human trafficking enforcement in our city,” he said. The memorandum of understanding between ICE and the Birmingham Police Department explicitly states that, while the Secretary of Homeland Security will be able to designate BPD officers as customs officers, “HSI is not conveying the authority to enforce administrative violations of immigration law.”ĭistrict 2 Councilor Hunter Williams, the previous chair of the council’s public safety committee, argued that the agreement was necessary to combat human and drug trafficking in the city.

2 but was delayed due to councilors’ concerns that it would require the police officers involved to participate in the deportation and removal of undocumented Birmingham residents. The agreement - a continuation of a previous 3-year deal - went before the council Nov.

The agreement was approved unanimously despite tense opposition from several advocacy groups worried that it could lead to more deportations in the city and give ICE too much power. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would deputize several BPD officers as customs officers for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations jurisdiction. The Birmingham City Council has approved an agreement between the city’s police department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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