COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. - The Colbert County Sheriff's Office is joining the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to work alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This initiative falls under the Immigration and Nationality Act, enabling agencies to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants without an ICE agent present.

Sheriff Eric Balentine of Colbert County explained that they have been approved for the corrections and warrant service modules of the program. "As of today, we are looking for violent, illegal immigrants. Those that are trafficking humans, those that are selling narcotics, those that are murdering, raping, anything that is violent that's what we're going after right now," Balentine said.

The sheriff emphasized that the program's goal is to protect t

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