Trump getting help in immigration crackdown from local police departments: report

Local police departments are reportedly helping President Trump in his immigration crackdown by enrolling in a program that allows them to verify the immigration status of individuals they detain.

According to a Reuters investigation, 29 police departments have enrolled in the program, known as 287(g), since Trump’s inauguration. Thirty-eight other departments told the news outlet that they have either applied to the program or may want to sign up. The program provides local law enforcement with the ability to perform some of the same duties as immigration officials.

{mosads}Reuters used the example of Bensalem, Pa., a town outside of Philadelphia, which is trying to enroll in the program. 

“If deporting you out of this country when you commit a crime is a tool at my disposal, you are darn right I am going to use it,” the town’s public safety director, Fred Harran, told the news outlet.

While former President Obama had decreased funding for 287(g), which falls under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Trump has extended the program.