Tarrant County Corrections Center is currently detaining hundreds of individuals who entered the country illegally through its cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the federal 287(g) program.
Sheriff Bill Waybourn said detainees come from 22 countries and include individuals charged with serious crimes, including murder. Among them is Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez, accused of killing 18-year-old Ava Moore in a jet ski collision on Grapevine Lake on May 25. Authorities said Gonzalez crossed the southern border illegally and was later released under Biden-era immigration policies before allegedly fleeing the scene with the help of Maikel Coello Perozo.
“Ninety-eight percent of the people that come through the jail, they’ll admit it, ‘yeah, I’m here illegally,’” Waybourn told NBC DFW. He added, “There are lots of serious offenses, including murder.”
Moreover, Waybourn said 287(g) cases account for roughly 4% to 5% of all Tarrant County jail bookings. He argued the county’s cooperation with ICE under 287(g) has made communities safer.
The Tarrant County effort coincides with a nationwide ICE expansion. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, more than 100,000 Americans applied to join ICE just two weeks after President Donald Trump launched a plan to hire 10,000 new agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security. By August 6, the agency had already received 80,000 applications.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a call to action. “Our country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” she said in a statement to Fox News. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”