Santa Fe liberals panic as Curry County, ICE make power move
Curry County, New Mexico, has become the first law enforcement agency in the state to enter into a formal partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), taking a bold and much-needed stand in support of border security and the rule of law. Under a May 9 agreement, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the federal Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program, allowing specially trained county jail staff to execute ICE-issued administrative immigration warrants.
This partnership, signed by Sheriff Mike Brockett and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, marks a significant step forward in local-federal collaboration to remove criminal illegal aliens from communities. It comes at a time when open-borders rhetoric dominates New Mexico politics, and some progressive municipalities work actively to shield illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement.
“While our office routinely serves warrants on behalf of other law enforcement agencies, this specific agreement with [the Department of Homeland Security] is new,” Brockett explained. “Participating in the [WSO model] assists DHS in prioritizing the removal of noncitizens who pose a threat to our community due to their criminal behavior.”
Brockett emphasized that the agreement applies strictly within the county jail and actually reduces the need for ICE to conduct enforcement operations in the broader community. “Our participation in the program is limited to the confines of our jail and reduces the need for ICE to conduct arrests within the community,” he said, calling it a “common-sense tool.”
This partnership is a direct rebuke to the left-wing policies pushed by Attorney General Raúl Torrez and others in Santa Fe, who have warned against cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Torrez’s office issued a cautionary memo earlier this year, warning of increased costs and alleged erosion of community trust under such agreements.
But Brockett disagreed. “I disagree with the NM DOJ on their perspective regarding 287(g) programs,” he wrote, referencing the legal framework that allows for such cooperation between federal and local law enforcement. This framework was revived and strengthened under President Donald Trump’s renewed commitment to secure the southern border and enforce immigration law.
Curry County is participating in the lightest of the three 287(g) models, which allows local officers to assist ICE with warrant service and custody transfers — a narrow and practical form of assistance that enhances public safety without burdening officers with full immigration enforcement responsibilities.
Still, the far-left is up in arms. The ACLU’s Becca Sheff accused Curry County of choosing “politics over people” and criticized the agreement’s initial lack of publicity, despite it being listed on ICE’s database of pending agreements.
In reality, the outrage from leftist activists and politicians is about maintaining New Mexico’s sanctuary stronghold, which includes counties like Santa Fe, Doña Ana, and Bernalillo, all of which have passed resolutions limiting cooperation with ICE. These sanctuary policies have directly undermined public safety and shielded dangerous criminals from removal.
A prior ICE agreement with the New Mexico Corrections Department in 2007 authorized prison staff to engage in immigration enforcement, though the agency says it has no current plans to revive that effort.
Despite political pressure, Curry County is prioritizing safety and standing firm in its resolve. With over 600 active ICE-local partnerships nationwide, Curry County is now part of a growing network committed to restoring law and order in the wake of the Biden administration’s catastrophic border policies. President Trump’s leadership has revitalized these partnerships and empowered local agencies to act.
Their move is a model for other counties in New Mexico that are tired of being told to ignore federal law while illegal aliens with criminal records are released back into their neighborhoods.
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