ICE: A Hot Topic

Allegany County Asks: Do you support or oppose ICE?

It is a fair question. It is also, in many ways, an incomplete one.

This question assumes that a County Sheriff has the authority to either permit or prohibit federal immigration enforcement based on personal preference or political alignment. That assumption dismisses both the structure of our government and the duty of the office. Federal immigration enforcement exists under federal law and federal direction. It will proceed regardless of whether a local sheriff expresses support, opposition, or silence. We have seen this repeatedly across the country, under administrations of both parties.

The responsibility of a Sheriff is not to disseminate appeasing rhetoric to their voter base about whether federal action should exist. The responsibility is to determine how power is regulated and restrained when exercised. That distinction matters, because it moves the conversation away from divisive political debates weakening our national identity, and back to a conversation about the lawful application of authority. American law determines who is eligible for deportation, and it is a matter settled through federal statutes and federal courts. But the Constitution does govern how enforcement is carried out. It places firm limits on the use of power by any and all government actors operating within our borders.

These limits exist for a reason. The Constitution does not grant rights based on political affiliation. It restrains authority to prevent abuse. Due process, proportional use of force, accountability, and humane treatment are non-negotiable. They are the conditions under which lawful enforcement remains lawful.

This is not an emotional position, and it is not partisan. It is foundational to what defines America.

Regardless of a person’s citizenship status or alleged crime, every human being within this country is entitled to constitutional protections. Not because they are Americans, but because our founding fathers recognized certain truths as self-evident and unequivocally declared them to be so. They understood that once the government is permitted to abandon restraint for some, it will eventually abandon restraint for all. That principle is not abstract. It is practical, stabilizing, and necessary for public trust.

If federal enforcement by any agency occurs within Allegany County, my duty as Sheriff would not be to interfere with lawful authority, nor to abdicate moral responsibility. My duty would be to ensure that enforcement conducted in this jurisdiction is lawful, restrained, accountable, and respectful of human life. Unlawful conduct, unnecessary violence, or disregard for constitutional restraints of authority would not be ignored simply because a badge was issued by the federal government.

This is not support or opposition. This is the real-world responsibility. Anyone telling you differently just wants your vote.

Communities do not fracture because laws exist. They fracture when power is asserted carelessly, inconsistently, or without accountability. People have not started to lose faith in government institutions because enforcement happens. They lose faith when enforcement feels arbitrary, hostile, or unmoored from principle. A Sheriff’s role is to prevent that fracture by anchoring authority where it belongs: in law, restraint, and responsibility.

I understand that reasonable and intelligent people across this community disagree about immigration policy, or any policy for that matter. Those debates belong in Congress and at the ballot box for federal and state office. The Sheriff’s office is not a stage for those arguments. It is a place of trust, where the real-world application of discretionary enforcement takes place, and where the rule of law must be protected from becoming a tool of political theater.

My commitment is simple, even though the issue is not. I will represent all of the people of Allegany County. I will uphold the Constitution without favoritism or fear. And I will carry out the duties of this office with the unflinching resolve required when emotions are high, stakes are real, and lives are affected.

That is how I understand the role of Sheriff. That is how I intend to serve.