SEAFORD, Del. - The ACLU of Delaware is calling on Gov. Matt Meyer to issue renewed guidance to state and local law enforcement about when they can assist federal immigration agents, following a controversial detention involving Seaford Police and Delaware State Police.
In an open letter released Thursday, the ACLU urged the governor to reaffirm the state’s stance on limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after police in Seaford responded to an ICE request to detain Carlos Chaj-Gonzalez on Nov. 6 outside the Lowe’s.
ACLU Delaware said it remains unclear whether ICE presented a valid judicial warrant for Chaj-Gonzalez’s detention, or whether state and local officers requested to see one before participating in the arrest. ICE has only stated that Chaj-Gonzalez is an “illegal alien” who had reentered the U.S., but has not provided documentation confirming their legal authority for the arrest, said ACLU.
In the letter, the ACLU highlighted Delaware’s recent steps to protect immigrant communities. Legislation passed in July banned all 287(g) agreements in the first state, which allow local law enforcement to perform federal immigration enforcement duties.
The ACLU argued that the Seaford arrest raises serious concerns about whether existing state policy was violated and called the current rules “murky.”
“Without clear guidance, inconsistent responses from state and local agencies risk undermining public safety by decreasing trust in law enforcement and diverting resources away from programs that keep our communities safe,” the letter said. “We also run the risk of Delaware being unintentionally dragged into the federal administration’s immigration enforcement regime under backdoor, misleading pretenses that state and local law enforcement must respond to public safety threats where none actually exist.”
CoastTV has reached out to the governor's office for comment on the letter, but has not yet received a response.