ICE signs agreement to provide training to Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office

• By Jade Campos / LNP | LancasterOnline

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office is the latest local law enforcement agency to join an Immigration and Customs Enforcement task force program.

ICE approved the DA’s application to join its task force program last week with a signed memorandum of agreement, according to its website. The program allows approved officers to receive ICE training and make immigration arrests on behalf of the agency.

Five other law enforcement agencies in Lancaster County have been approved to join the program since the beginning of the year, including the county sheriff’s office.

Erik Yabor, a spokesperson for District Attorney Heather Adams, declined to comment on ICE’s decision to approve the DA’s application.

In August, Yabor said ICE officials encouraged the DA’s office to apply for the program to receive training for one county detective who is already signed on to a separate federal task force, the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force.

Yabor reiterated Thursday that the office intends to provide training to just one detective.

“The purpose of the training is so that this detective has the knowledge and awareness of current practices so they can understand how to handle such cases as the need arises,” Yabor said in August.

The ICE task force program was revived under President Donald Trump this year as the White House works to expand the agency’s ranks. The administration of former President Barack Obama ended the program in 2012. At the time, studies and investigations showed the program often led to a pattern of racial profiling.

Approved officers must be U.S. citizens with at least two years of experience in law enforcement. Program certification requires 40 hours of online training.