Golden Responds To AG’s ICE Letter

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden took a respectful tone in his response to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office strongly worded rebuke of his extending the County’s 287 (g) agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

In a letter dated July 9 to Veronica Allende, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice in the AG’s Office, Golden promised to provide the information demanded in Allende’s letter of July 8 and enlisted the support of ICE to also provide information to the Attorney General’s Office.

Golden touted the success of Monmouth County’s 287 (g) agreement with ICE, which he said has been in  place since 2010 and is only instituted at the jail:

“In the spirit of your objective for our collective communities the 287 (g) program is not meant to undermine community trust since, it is only implemented within the four walls of the correctional facility.”

The Sheriff also stated that the Monmouth County Correctional Institution has not housed ICE inmates for six years.

In a press release that accompanied the release of the letter to Allende, Golden said he was hopeful that the Division of Criminal Justice will recognize the value of the 287 (g) program and agree to its continuance at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

The Memorandum of Agreement to extend the 287 (g) program which is highly successful in the corrections division, went into effect on March 8, 2019, prior to the Attorney General directive and the receipt of the Division of Criminal Justice’s post facto memo, outlining guidelines on April 30, for continuation of the program. In response to the letter from the Department of Criminal Justice, dated July 8, the sheriff’s office along with ICE will compile information and is hopeful the program will continue.

“The 287 (g) program has been in effect at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution for 9 years. The program is only instituted at the correctional facility on incarcerated individuals, brought to the jail by local law enforcement agencies,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “It is highly regarded and essential, particularly in light of bail reform, as these individuals are charged with serious crimes.”

In 2018, a total of 7,845 inmates were processed at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, 40 of them were found to be undocumented immigrants. That’s nearly one half of one percent who were turned over to ICE within a 24 hour time period.

The sheriff’s office has been a cooperative partner with federal, state and local agencies when protecting the public and ensuring safety. Law enforcement throughout Monmouth County never wants to be faced with a situation where a dangerous, undocumented immigrant is released from jail and poses a threat to a community.

Response Letter to Division of Criminal Justice Dated July 9 2019