Greene Co. sheriff explains 287(g) partnership with ICE
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — It wasn't long after Wesley Holt became sheriff in Greene County in 2018 that he thought partnering with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency would be good for his department and the county.
At that time, Greene County was just the second jurisdiction in the state to be a part of the 287(g) program with its Jail Enforcement Model.
'There is a right way to come to our country and there's a wrong way to come to our country,' explained Holt as to why he signed on to the program. 'And it kind of defeats the purpose for the people that have done the right way to come to our country and become natural citizens, and those that are just coming across the border and being here free.'
The way the 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model works is that ICE provides a month-long training class for qualified jailers and computer equipment for them to be able to check the immigration status of those already under arrest in the county.
'Anybody that's arrested into our facility, we go through a booking process and we have one question that says, 'have you, were you born in United States?'' John Key, the Greene County Jail Administrator, told News Channel 11. 'If I answer no to that question, it automatically triggers us to run them through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, to see if they have outstanding warrants or warrants to be deported from the country.'
Key says the system usually provides an answer about immigration status within an hour, but if an arrestee bonds out before an answer is known, the county doesn't hold them pending an answer. If it turns out the person is here illegally, the sheriff's department notifies ICE agents and informs them of the next court date. But suspects aren't automatically deported until their local case is concluded.
'They have to satisfy any local sentence that they may receive, and once that sentence is satisfied, if they have a detainer, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have 72 hours to take them out of our custody,' explained Key.
Those who have been detained or deported after being arrested in Greene County aren't always who you might think.
'They [ICE] picked people back [up] from Russia and Eastern Europe, France. Maybe they just overstayed a work visa, or they've overstayed a tourist visa, or they've overstayed even a student visa,' said Key.
But some of those detained have been accused criminals, said Sheriff Holt. He said that those people don't need to be in Greene County.
'We might get them in here to the jail, they might come in on the DUI, but once we run them through the system, they may be going for statutory rape or anything like that. Criminal charges that they don't need to be on our streets here in Greene County or the State of Tennessee. They need to be deported back to where they came from if they're here illegally,' said Sheriff Holt.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Hunger strikes! Tears! Arrest! It's been a week of ridiculous performances as NYC liberals chase folk-hero status
What's another starving BS artist? Cynthia Nixon's daughter Seph Mozes, who identifies as a man, is going on a hunger strike for Gaza — but really for attention. 'He and five of his compatriots are doing a hunger strike in Chicago … ,' a proud Nixon told Newsweek, adding that her 28-year-old child has no 'illusions that he's going to end the war, but I think he wants to do everything he can.' To earn a merit badge in the art of self-congratulations, apparently. 6 Cynthia Nixon told Newsweek that her child Seph Mozes is now doing a hunger strike for Gaza Instagram/Cynthia Nixon Maybe Nixon's offspring had the misfortune of seeing the actress in bed with Rosie O'Donnell in the third-season premiere of 'And Just Like That.' Such a sight would put anyone off eating. But it's probably more like the famous anti-drug PSA from the '80s: 'I learned it by watching you, Mom.' Shortly after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Nixon — who ran an unsuccessful campaign for New York governor in 2018 — boldly announced she was joining lawmakers, including current nutjob mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, in a five-day fast supporting ceasefire in Gaza. Nixon, however, committed to just two days of the five — a full 48 hours of abstaining from her beloved cinnamon raisin bagels with lox. She knows sacrifice and solidarity. 6 A Trump supporter shouted at marchers during the June 14 'No Kings' march in Manhattan. Aristide Economopoulos It's only fitting that Nixon's most recent proclamation capped off a banner week of performative activism by New York City progressives in search of folk-hero status. One pol was arrested, another cried and there were many self-righteous tweets posted with the presumed expectation that they'll end up in the Smithsonian one day. It all kicked off last Saturday with the No Kings anti-Trump protest, which was a social mixer for Boomer hippies. Did it mean anything? Like its predecessor the pink pussy hat marches, this was a collective tantrum against a duly-elected president. And maybe a guarantee that participants would get in their 10,000 steps for the day. Only days later, City Comptroller and Dem mayoral candidate Brad Lander desperately tried to revive his rotting corpse of a campaign by getting arrested on camera — not the first time. 6 City Comptroller Brad Lander was placed under arrest by ICE agents Tuesday after he obstructed them from an arrestee by refusing to remove his hand from the man's shoulder. Dean Moses/amNewYork 6 Lander's arrest was captured in a series of dramatic photos. via REUTERS In this instance, he pathetically tangled with ICE officers after demanding to see a warrant for someone being detained outside federal immigration court. Clinging to the guy's shoulder, he made a clear provocation to the officers to cuff him. And they made his day. Lander thought it would be a profile in courage. But it produced a series of unbelievable images that made him look like the town drunk being hauled out of his local watering hole for getting handsy with a waitress. In one, his bulging eyes rolled back into his head, he resembles Rodney Dangerfield. No respect! He was sprung by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who seems to only visit New York City for photo ops. Who can forget her riding the subway to tout its safety … on the same day a woman was incinerated by an illegal migrant on an F Train. 6 Kathy Hochul posted this picture of herself and Brad Lander walking after Lander was released without charges. Governor Kathy Hochul / X This time, our Democratic guv marched into the federal building and collected Lander, who was released without charges. She then tweeted a photo of them defiantly walking together, captioned with the state slogan 'Excelsior' — Latin for 'ever upward.' In Hochul-ese, it translates to 'empty political posturing.' After his publicity stunt, Lander was greeted like a conquering hero by lefty loonies including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and absentee Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who posted a photo of himself hugging the candidate and touting his 'courage.' Do these people know that we can't even buy toothpaste in this city without buzzing a worker to unlock it? But hey, they got their photo op. 6 As he was facing questions about his use of the phrase 'Globalize the Intifada,' mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani cried while telling reporters about the Islamophobia he's faced. Bernadette Hogan/NY1 Our pols are severely misguided. They regularly pledge to fight against Trump rather than fighting for everyday New Yorkers to have order and an affordable city. The rotten cherry on top was Mamdani — a political novice but a seasoned performer. He tried to blunt a blossoming new antisemitic scandal, fueled by his use of the phrase 'globalize the intifada' … by pivoting into his own victimhood. 'I get messages that say the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life,' he said, choking back tears. Even the mere threat of political violence is an abomination, full stop. Just ask Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had his house burned in an attack police said was driven by antisemitism. Or the families of the young couple killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in DC, allegedly by a man who said, 'I did it for Gaza.' But if Mamdani is going to cry every time he hears or sees some nasty words, perhaps being mayor of New York — which requires a firm hand and a thick hide — is not the job for him. The Big Apple has enough actors and clowns. Let's get some serious adults in here to run things.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
See where Trump's approval rating stands after massive immigration protests
CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten breaks down a new poll showing how Americans feel about President Donald Trump's handling of ICE raids and the Los Angeles immigration protests.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
See where Trump's approval rating stands after massive immigration protests
CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten breaks down a new poll showing how Americans feel about President Donald Trump's handling of ICE raids and the Los Angeles immigration protests.
