Palm Beach County Jail to Ignore ICE Detainers

Palm Beach County is joining the growing list of counties refusing to follow federal demands that it detain people for an extended period who have questionable immigration status.
 
The sheriff's office announced Tuesday that it would immediately stop holding people solely based on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, absent any other judicial order. The detainer requires local authorities keep people locked up as long as 48 hours after initial charges against them are resolved.
 
In recent years, there has been significant confusion over whether such detainers were mandatory.
 
The sheriff's office cited new federal directives and court cases that led the agency to believe it was no longer obligated to honor the detainers.
 
The office said the decision would not affect its commitment to securing the borders nor fighting human trafficking.