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Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. (Peg McNichol\/MediaNews Group)<\/p>\nSheriff Michael Bouchard is worried about people who want to keep tabs on federal agents for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the U.S. Border Patrol in Oakland County.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s confusion between the federal agents in masks and unmarked cars and undercover sheriff\u2019s deputies assigned to the narcotics enforcement or fugitive apprehension teams, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had people show up at these high-risk (sheriff\u2019s) raids \u2026 running up with their phones and trying to insert themselves, thinking it\u2019s ICE,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a very dangerous situation. If a suspect opens fire, the (people with phones) would be in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputies working undercover must wear masks and use unmarked cars for their own safety and the safety of anyone who helped them as part of a criminal investigation, Bouchard said, adding that suspects would recognize an unmasked undercover officer, make the connection with the person who helped the officer, endangering their lives.<\/p>\n
Police dispatchers get calls every week from residents who think ICE agents were at a mall, a school or other location, \u201cbut that never happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. (Peg McNichol\/MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n
Those are just a few things people don\u2019t understand about the difference between deputies\u2019 and ICE activities.<\/p>\n
Another, he said, is that deputies don\u2019t work with ICE.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe U.S. Supreme Court held that immigration is under federal authority and it\u2019s a federal government job,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the authority, nor do we want the authority, to arrest someone simply for being in this country illegally. But if they\u2019re in our custody and suspected of a crime, we will alert ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bouchard said ICE agents would be informed when that person would be released from custody, but if federal agents are not present at that time the person would go free.<\/p>\n
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald issued a statement last week opposing the presence of ICE in the county.<\/p>\n
She reminded people that basic constitutional rights include \u201cthe right to be free from unlawful arrest, regardless of immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDonald said she expected any legal violations by federal, local or county officers to be \u201cfully and transparently investigated by independent authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Facebook video<\/p>\n
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. (FILE)<\/p>\n
Federal agents do not have absolute immunity from prosecution, according to the think tank Brennan Center for Justice<\/a>, which has offices in New York and Washington D.C., however federal officials can impede state or local investigations.<\/p>\n After the shooting deaths of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents, federal officials opposed an investigation by Minnesota officials and would not share information with the state. Deaths during law-enforcement incidents are typically investigated by a separate, independent law-enforcement agency.<\/p>\n