RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) is moving forward with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh emphasized that no major changes are expected under the agreement and that deputies will not be going into the community to make arrests that are focused on the immigration status of an individual…
Under the federal 287(g) program, RCSO will operate under the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model.
The MOU, signed by the county on August 28, 2025, grants deputies authority to execute civil immigration warrants inside the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. However, the program does not authorize deputies to perform immigration enforcement during routine duties outside of the jail, according to ICE guidelines…