Immigration officers carried out an operation in Bluffton on May 29. The operation saw 15 arrested men led in and out of the Myrtle Park Government Center in Bluffton with Beaufort County Sheriff’s officers standing nearby. But the Bluffton Police Department didn’t know it was happening.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has a 271(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement allows BCSO officers to carry out the duties of an ICE agent. BPD does not have one of these agreements.
The Island Packet spoke to BPD Chief of Police Joseph Babkiewicz about the operation, and the department’s position on 287(g).
BPD and 287(g)
Babkiewicz said his department was not informed about the operation by federal or local agencies…