N.Y.C. Suburb Deploys Detectives to Aid Trump’s Deportation Crackdown

President Trump’s mission to widen and accelerate his immigration crackdown gained momentum in a New York City suburb on Tuesday, as Nassau County leaders announced a partnership with the Trump administration to empower law enforcement officers to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican county executive, said that 10 Nassau detectives would be trained and deputized to conduct immigration arrests, just like a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Those detectives would embed with ICE teams targeting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, he said. They could also be called upon to process immigrants arrested by the local police who, after a background check, are found to lack legal status or are wanted by ICE.

The county will also set aside up to 50 cells in the county jail to hold immigrants for up to 72 hours before they are transferred to ICE custody for immediate deportation or long-term detention elsewhere, Mr. Blakeman added, stressing that “this isn’t about raids, this is about targeted enforcement.”

“Our detectives are not out looking for illegal migrants,” Mr. Blakeman said during a news conference in the county’s executive and legislative building on Tuesday. “If a crime is committed, the officers will then do a background check, and if a background check says that they are here illegally or there is a detainer out there, then they will get ICE involved.”

The local-federal partnership in Nassau County, one of the most populous counties in the United States, could be a harbinger of others to materialize across the country.

The president has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, but he will have to greatly expand the resources and ranks of ICE to achieve his goal. Collaborating with friendly local law enforcement agencies is one way he could increase the number of migrants who are picked up and deported.