NEWS RELEASE: Sheriff’s Office Ends ICE Housing Contract

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10292019

DAVIDSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ENDS ICE HOUSING CONTRACT
Effective December 1, DCSO will no longer house ICE detainees

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall announced today effective December 1, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) will no longer contract to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees. This move comes after meeting with local advocacy groups, Mayor John Cooper, Metropolitan Council members, and internal stakeholders.

“The continued confusion and hyper-political nature of this issue has become a distraction from sheriff’s office priorities,” Hall said. “The number of individuals detained as a result of this contract is less than one percent of overall jail bookings; however, I spend an inordinate amount of my time debating its validity.”

Since 1996, Metro government, not the DCSO, has received revenue from a council-approved contract to house various federal detainees including ICE. The sheriff’s office is currently in negotiations with the United States Marshal Service (USMS) to remove ICE from that contract. The DCSO, under a renewed council-approved agreement, will continue to house individuals who are in USMS custody.

“Over the past 15 years, I challenge you to find a sheriff’s office whose immigration-related policies have been more responsible,” Hall said. “Taking into consideration our important public safety role and our goal of being community-minded, we have always worked to see our policies evolve accordingly. This approach hasn’t always been popular, but responsible. We will now move forward, continuing to focus on significant issues such as decriminalization of mental illness and criminal justice reform.”

Hall says, DCSO’s future ICE interaction will be limited to that which is required by state law.

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