Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham says he will not allow the city's police force to partner with U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In an interview with WSKG, he also expressed concerns over the impact the agency's recruiting tactics could have on police hiring.
Many local law enforcement agencies across the country are already working with ICE through a program called 287(g).
Under 287(g), local agencies get free training and could be eligible for federal funding grants. However, the agreement does not boost officers’ pay or benefits.
The Broome County Sheriff’s Department signed a 287(g) agreement earlier this year. The Binghamton Police Department has not.
Kraham plans to keep it that way.
“I do not want Binghamton police officers moonlighting as ICE agents, period,” Kraham said. “And that will not happen as long as I'm mayor. I think it could potentially put our officers or the department at risk when raids are conducted that are not lawful, and it's not something that I want our resources to be used for.”
He said ICE involvement jeopardizes the city’s policing goals.
“The reason why, under my administration, Binghamton police will not engage in one of these 287(g) programs is because it does nothing to advance that community policing and really public safety and trust within the community,” the Republican said.
The new federal spending law includes about $30 billion for ICE to recruit 10,000 new immigration enforcement officers. Starting salaries for new ICE recruits are around $49,000, but the government is promising new hires signing bonuses and other benefits.
Kraham said the city already competes with other municipalities to recruit new police officers. He said that will be harder now that the federal government is going after the same pool of recruits.
Eventually, ICE will be putting more agents on the streets, but Kraham said, unlike the local police force, they won’t be there to keep communities safe.
“These are individuals that are dealing [with] civil and immigration enforcement, not local public safety, folks dialing 911, dealing with crime in their neighborhood.
For Kraham it is not just what ICE is doing in other communities, but how they are doing it that is at odds with his approach to local policing.
“The use of masks, no body cameras—certainly different standards that I would have than I would have in terms of constitutional policing and the rights of individuals they're dealing with," Kraham said.
He added that he values transparency and due process in law enforcement.
Kraham’s concerns come as Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski remains on administrative leave pending an investigation after his girlfriend was filmed punching a 16-year-old in Johnson City earlier this month.
The results of the investigation are due by the end of the month. Kraham promises the report will be made public.
