There have been concerns expressed that Sioux County has been listed as a “sanctuary county” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Center for Immigration Studies. I, Sheriff McCumbers, and the entire Sioux County Sheriff’s Office want to address these concerns.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office has a policy in place to comply with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and their extension, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, regarding all issues of illegal immigration. Sioux County is in no way a “sanctuary county” from the perspective of my office.
The list was compiled from a survey of DHS and ICE co-operation and compliance policies within a county’s jails. As Sioux County has no jail or detention facility, we do not have any policies regarding jail co-operation with any federal agency and were therefore listed as non-compliant.
I have asked our area ICE office to remove Sioux County from this list. If any citizens of Sioux County wish to take action, you should contact your United States congressional representatives to ask their assistance with removing our county from the list. I would also recommend supporting our County Commissioners in adopting a resolution stating that we are not a “sanctuary county”.