Montgomery County Sheriff Pledges To Honor Federal Immigration Holds

CONROE, TX — Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson said Monday he will join with other sheriffs in Texas and honor the state’s federal immigration detainers and hold individuals who may pose a danger to society in custody for an additional 48 hours. The so-called "immigration holds" are among the tools U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials use to put people in the federal deportation system.

So far, 253 county sheriffs in Texas have pledged to support the move, with the exception of Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who drew the ire of Gov. Greg Abbott last week.

In an interview on Jan. 27, Abbott told Fox News he’d propose legislation this session to remove Texas sheriffs from elected office if they failed to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in detaining people thought to be undocumented immigrants for deportation.

Detainers or immigration holds allow law enforcement officials to hold illegal aliens arrested and charged with felony crimes to be held, despite a bond being imposed by a judge, until they can be turned over to immigration officials to returned to their native country after they are sentenced.

Henderson said he was adamantly opposed to Hernandez’s stance on Abbott’s order and her policies on ICE detainers.

“As a Texas sheriff, I agree with (the) removal of all state grant funding for those who do not comply with federal immigration law, which creates de facto sanctuary cities,” Henderson said in his statement.

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