SALISBURY, Md. – The City of Salisbury and the Salisbury Police Department say they will cooperate with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office in its efforts to remove any incarcerated individuals found to be illegal immigrants through the 287(g) Program.
Chief Dave Meienschein of the Salisbury Police Department said, “The Salisbury Police Department would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for public safety and the trust we've built with our community. Through this 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model, we support and will cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office, all of our law enforcement partners and will always act in the best interest of public safety while safeguarding the trust of all residents within the community. Our goal is simple: to protect everyone in our community with transparency without creating fear or division.”
Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor highlighted the value in law enforcement relationships and said, “We are clearly living in unprecedented times regarding illegal immigration. City of Salisbury law enforcement will certainly cooperate with our county law enforcement partners with any and all agreements as we aid to comply with federal law.”
According to a press release from Wicomico County on Sept. 4, the county affirmed its intentions to use the Warrant Service Officer model. Also known as WSO, this model is a program under ICE designed to “enhance public safety” by using specially trained officers to enact immigration warrants on people in county custody.
Wicomico County went further, and said the partnership with ICE “provides clear guardrails on how immigration-related responsibilities will be handled at the local level, ensuring consistency, accountability, and proper oversight.”