The detention last fall of twenty individuals from multiple foreign countries working at the same restaurant suspected of being here illegally by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reminded us that undocumented workers have been a problem in St. Charles County since at least 2003. In March of that year, sheriff’s deputies assisted federal agents in pulling over a minivan on I-70 with ten illegal immigrants and an envelope containing 24 blank Social Security cards and 25 blank alien resident cards. With Interstates 44, 55, 64 and 70 intersecting here, the St. Louis region had become a crossroads, and occasionally a destination, for undocumented workers.
Concern grew after a contractor, for a development that was receiving subsidies from the Missouri Housing Development Commission, was exposed for using undocumented workers. The County Council voted unanimously in September 2007 to allow county law enforcement, following the example of the Highway Patrol, to request admittance to the 287(g) program, which gives local law enforcement the tools and the training to turn over such cases to the proper Immigration Customs Enforcement officials. Federal limitations on the size of the 287(g) program at the time resulted in a halt to new program admissions before St. Charles County was able to be admitted.
By November 2021, the lax security of the southern border had become a national issue, while locally out of state builders used undocumented immigrants at a construction site in O’Fallon. The Missouri Times reported, “They had to work 11-12 hours per day, six days a week, and were paid cash at the end of the week without taxes deducted. The crew was largely made up of immigrants who came into the U.S. illegally via the porous Mexican border.”
When notified, I requested St. Charles County police detectives investigate possible violations of state law and county ordinances. The information was passed along to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, while I contacted the Director of the Missouri Department of Labor and requested assistance, concerned that the out-of-state builders were replacing local workers with illegal immigrants.
Later a Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Immigration held a hearing aimed at identifying ways to discourage illegal immigration. It looked into out-of-state companies bringing illegal immigrants into Missouri to work without paying state taxes or obeying state labor laws. I testified about how the issue was spreading across Missouri and while I could not speak for other counties, I volunteered St. Charles County for this battle to protect the local labor force in St. Charles County.
The County has worked with ICE, as well as DEA, FBI, ATF, Postal Inspectors, and other federal partners through the County Police Department and the Department of Corrections. For instance, we report undocumented persons being held in our jail to ICE. This puts the individual, often charged with serious or violent felonies, on their radar so that after dismissal of charges, acquittal, or adjudication and completion of sentence on the felony charge, ICE officials will initiate deportation. While this helps ensures justice for local victims of these crimes, it costs county taxpayers $118 per day for every illegal immigrant in the St. Charles County jail awaiting trial.
People have asked me, “What is the proper role for local police in immigration enforcement?” The detention of the restaurant worker last fall stemmed from a local HOA meeting where it became known that an extraordinary number of adults were living in two houses in violation of a county ordinance. County police were notified and that information was communicated to ICE after investigation established reasonable suspicion that the persons living there were not in the United States legally. While the federal agents were detaining twenty individuals from multiple countries suspected of being here illegally, County Police provided a secure perimeter on the street to ensure no one congregated in front of the residence. Those here illegally were detained and deported, while the U.S. Attorney filed charges against the owner and operator for harboring illegal immigrants. If the local police in Minneapolis had assisted in this way, securing areas for ICE to operate, perhaps the tragedies there could have been avoided.
This County administration has always supported our Police Department working with our federal law enforcement partners, including ICE. 287(g) provides an opportunity for additional training that makes our police more efficient and operate safely with federal agents. I have asked the County Council to approve an agreement with ICE and, following the example set by the Highway Patrol, we will decline to accept any payment. We don’t want to be perceived as bounty hunters, but do want to give our police every tool to do the job they are sworn to do in the most efficient manner.
St. Charles County executive
