POST FALLS, Idaho — The City of Post Falls announced that the Post Falls Police Department has entered a formal agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, making Post Falls the first city municipality in Idaho to join the program, according to a city announcement.
Under the agreement, trained local law enforcement officers will identify removable noncitizens with criminal charges or convictions during routine operations, serve administrative warrants in jails, and facilitate transfers to federal custody.
“Public safety is our top priority in Post Falls,” said Chief Mark Brantl of the Post Falls Police Department. “By participating in the 287(g) program, our officers will gain additional tools to address serious criminal activity linked to immigration violations.”
The city will receive training for select officers in immigration law and procedures at no additional cost. Post Falls Mayor Randy Westlund said the partnership “advances these goals and strengthens our community.”
Police Captain Brian Harrison said, “Without a program like this, if we are interacting with someone who is in the country illegally, we can’t enforce federal law,”
One of the primary challenges the department faced under the previous system involved detention limitations. Officers could hold individuals suspected of immigration violations only temporarily before being forced to release them without federal authority to proceed.
“Without that federal authority, we can only keep them detained for so long before we just have to let them go, and that just seems counterproductive to justice,” Harrison said.
Rather than relying on federal agents to conduct immigration investigations, local officers will now have direct access to the systems needed to verify immigration status.
“We can look into that immigration status ourselves. By joining into that program, we will have four officers and a captain that will get trained to have access to these federal systems to check immigration status and citizenship status,” Harrison said.
Post Falls Mayor Randy Westlund expressed support for the partnership in a statement released by the city. “We are proud to continue our partnership with federal law enforcement to keep our city safe and we reiterate our commitment to enforcing the law. This partnership advances these goals and strengthens our community,” Westlund said.
Residents who witness a crime can call 911 or contact the Post Falls Police Department at (208) 773-3517 for non-emergency situations.
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