EXCLUSIVE: ICE makes 20 arrests during 'traffic blitz' with Avon police, sources say

AVON, Ind. - Federal immigration authorities made 20 arrests during a traffic blitz in Avon on Tuesday, sources tell FOX59/CBS4.




Those sources said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worked with the Avon Police Department to conduct several dozen traffic stops throughout the town to detain illegal immigrants.




There are no police reports from Avon police documenting the arrests and they do not appear in the Hendricks County Jail public log.




The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed they were part of the operation.




"We did not conduct traffic stops as the FBI is not authorized to conduct those," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We were there to assist Avon Police and ICE/ERO with any needed federal warrants."




After numerous attempts to obtain information, Avon Police Chief Sean Stoops sent FOX59/CBS4 a lengthy email that framed the operation differently.




He confirmed that his officers conducted a "traffic blitz" in the Avon area and made numerous stops for reasons such as traffic violations, registration violations and aggressive driving.




"During a few of these traffic stops, our police officers encountered undocumented and/or unlicensed foreign nationals," Chief Stoops wrote. "Avon Police officers requested assistance from Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents. Agents responded to the traffic stop location and assisted with identifying the foreign nationals and conducted their own investigation into the status of those individuals."




However, sources tell FOX 59/CBS 4 that ICE reached out to Avon police first. The agency also contacted other police departments, who declined to participate.




In his statement, Stoops said it works with all federal law enforcement agencies and that if they request their help, his officers will assist.




Lisa Koop with the National Immigrant Justice Center said ICE uses local law enforcement agencies to circumvent the normal judicial process. Koop said agents are required to have probable cause to make a warrantless arrest.




"If they are seeking to circumvent those requirements and bypass the need to establish that they've gotten the administrative warrant or that they've established that they've probable caused to make an arrest, then a convenient shortcut would be to lean on local police," Koop explained. "[They can] make what may or may not be a legitimate traffic stop and if they have someone in criminal legal custody...it makes it a whole lot easier for ICE to come in and apprehend someone and initiate deportation proceedings."




Koop argues the legality of that strategy remains an open question. She believes police still need a legitimate reason to stop someone.




"If police are only pulling over people who look like they might be immigrants in their view, then yes, it's racial profiling," Koop said. "Whether there's probable cause to make any kind of arrest, criminal or immigration related, I think is called into question."




We went back to Stoops with various questions about the relationship between Avon Police and ICE and how those traffic stops were conducted.




"There are some portions of our strategic operational planning that we do not share publicly to ensure the safety of our officers and to protect them in the future and to ensure mission success," Stoops said. "As I stated in my previous email, we reciprocate with all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies when it comes to assisting with law enforcement operations and actions."




FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to ICE for comment on the sweep but has yet to hear back.





via: https://fox59.com/news/exclusive-ice-makes-20-arrests-during-traffic-blitz-with-avon-police-sources-say/