The St. Charles County Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a formal 287(g) partnership between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the county police department.
The agreement would vest limited immigration enforcement authority with county police under oversight from ICE during routine police duties.
The room was packed wall to wall with dozens of community residents, business owners and representatives from organizations including the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri.
Ahead of the meeting, they gathered outside holding signs and chanting in unison: "When our neighbors are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!"
Bill No. 5474 was introduced three weeks ago with no discussion among council members — who again held no discussion before passing the measure Monday, despite the opposition in the room.
The bill was requested by St. Charles County Chief of Police Kurt Frisz and sponsored by council Chair Mike Elam.
The St. Charles County Police Department joins more than 60 other entities that have signed individual 287(g) agreements across the state.
County resident Angelica Mitchell said she's an educator, the daughter of immigrant parents and a proud Mexican American.
"Over the last year, I have seen the impact ICE has had on our students and families," Mitchell said. "The ordinary, day-to-day activities have become risks — going to the store, going to work, driving to school, existing as a person of color. There is increasing fear, anxiety and instability for our students and families and as teachers in close proximity to these students. We see changes and patterns, lack of focus, poor attendance and increasing economic instability due to parents being detained or deported. There is growing trauma for our community, and I grieve this."
Gabriela Ramírez Arellano, a county business owner, said her family has lived in St. Charles County for 39 years. She noted research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics that found counties implementing 287(g) agreements saw a 6% decrease in businesses.
"That's fewer businesses opening, fewer jobs created, and less economic growth in our communities," Arellano said. "My employees are not just workers, they are people with families, with dreams, with deep ties to this community. Policies like 287g create fear and instability."
Direct access to ICE
The St. Charles County Police Department has had an informal relationship with the Department of Homeland Security for over 20 years.
Police Chief Kurt Frisz said that when people without legal status are arrested on unrelated charges, the department will hold them until ICE picks them up.
He said the department's actions will not change under the new 287(g) agreement. Frisz said the approved agreement is merely procedural and administrative.
Now that it's passed, Frisz said a total of 10 officers will undergo an online, self-paced training. Frisz said officers will learn how to fill out an online form for ICE agents and use a special hotline that gives faster access to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in order to check the immigration status of individuals more quickly.
He said that without the hotline access, it can take four to five hours to reach the department.
"It might take an officer out of service for multiple hours by the time they get a hold of ICE and get someone to check the status," Frisz said. "I haven't been through the training, but I have talked to other agencies that are in the 287(g) program, and they said it's been very good for their officers, and expedites the process."
President Donald Trump's administration has stirred immigration enforcement operations across the country. Many communities have been plagued by fear and paranoia due to increasing arrests — including O'Fallon, where a former DACA recipient was given over to ICE after a traffic stop.
Frisz said he understands why people would fear being racially profiled, but he said that's not happening in St. Charles County. He said people are only being stopped if there is probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed.
"That's against policy," he said. "It's against law, so we adhere to very high standards. If we get complaints of racial profiling, they're thoroughly investigated. We have body cams and dash cams. We don't tolerate it. We don't get complaints about it, because we don't employ that practice."
Sage Coram, a legislative associate at the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, said that's hard to believe. She said 32% of people in the U.S. now live in a county where the local police are enlisted in a 287(g) program with ICE.
She said police in St. Charles County are playing down what the agreement actually means.
"That is to use local officers to aid in amplifying the federal administration's ambition to arrest, transport, detain and ultimately deport millions of people across our country," Coram said.
In September, the Department of Homeland Security announced new opportunities to reimburse participating agencies for the annual salary and benefits of designated officers, as well as performance awards for law enforcement agencies. The St. Charles County Council, however, has said the county will not accept DHS funds for participating in the 287(g) program.
"Does that mean that the local agency will be responsible for all salaries and benefits, including overtime? Does that mean they will cover all travel, housing or per diem costs associated with the training required under the agreement, and will they be responsible for total administrative costs related to participation?" Coram said.
"How does this increase the resources, safety, trust and strength of the St. Charles County community?" Coram added. "The simple answer is that it doesn't, and it won't."
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