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 Office o/State and Local Coordination

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

500 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20536

u.s. Immigration
and Customs
Enforcement
Phillip Thompson
Sheriff
Horry County
Horry County Judicial Complex
1301 2nd Avenue, Post Office Box 380
Conway, South Carolina 29528

Dear Sheriff Thompson:

Thank you for vour letter expressing interest in the 287(g) Delegation of Authority program offered
by the U.&b)\ll)\ (b sr€Ujon and Customs Enforcement (ICE), within the Department of Homeland
Security.

As the largest inve~tigative agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE is
charged with(~r~1 (b~~n.~J national security and ensuring public safety through the aggressive
enforcement of-fe ~rcil1mmigration and customs laws across the more than 3.5 million square
miles that make up our great nation. ICE recognizes, however, that we share the responsibility of
ensuring public safety with over 775,000·state and local law enforcement officers. One way ICE
addresses this joint goal is by building partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies
(LEAs). To facilitate these partnerships and work more closely with our state and local
counterparts, in 2007 ICE launched the comprehensive Agreements of Cooperation in Communities
to Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS) program.

ICE ACCESS serves to provide state and local LEAs like yours an opportunity to partner with ICE
to specifically combat the immigration and customs enforcement challenges of their communities.
To accomplish this, ICE ACCESS offers an umbrella of services and programs to assist local LEAs
with interior enforc.ement issues. The 287(g) program that your letter referenced is only one such
component. Other programs that fall within the purview of ICE ACCESS include: the Customs
Cross-Designation (Title 19), Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces, the Law Enforcement
Support Center (LESC), Operation Community Shield, the Criminal Alien Program (CAP),
Fugitive Operations, and Rapid Repatriation. For more information, please find enclosed a copy of
the ICE ACCESS Fact Sheet.

It is through strategic discussions and efforts such as these that strong partnerships between state
and local law enforcement agencies and ICE can be developed. Combining Federal, state, and local
resources has proven successful in safeguarding the public. I have requested that the local ICE
ACCESS liaisons coordinate with you to determine which ICE ACCESS programs will best meet
our joint needs. The first step in identifying which programs best suit your community's needs will
be to complete the "Needs Assessment Tool" that will be sent by your ICE ACCESS liaison. The
local points of CC Lilct for ICE ACCESS are: in the Office oflnvestigations, Robert Rodriguez at
(404) 346-2273; .:J !n the Office of Detention and Removal Operations, Mark Johns, at (404) 893-
1210. Th~b}(&l)l, (b 7)~~ for your interest in ICE.
Sincerely,
(b~(6~, (b)(7)(C)

0~'0;
William F. Riley
Acting Executive Director
Office of State and Local Coordination
Enclosure
www.ice.gov