Cheshire County New Hampshire Sheriff Eli Rivera announced this week that his office would not conduct raids for Federal immigration officials. So has Cheshire declared itself a sanctuary County? Hardly.
In the context of the illegal immigration debate a sanctuary town, city, county, or state is a place that will not actively pursue illegal immigrants for deportation, period. But Rivera never says this. He merely points out that he will not enter into any agreement with the feds to do their job for them.
Any representative of ICE requesting our assistance must have an active criminal warrant issued by a judge or must be actively pursuing a criminal investigation that relates to public safety for us to participate.
Sheriff Rivera has said his department will not go out of its way to identify or detain illegals (in the course of day-to-day interaction), which has undertones of “sanctuary” but he is not preventing their identification and deportation by others. He isn’t hiding them. He isn’t hampering others.
State or Federal agencies tasked with locating and deporting illegals are free to operate in Cheshire County without interference from him. His office will even assist when there is an active criminal investigation or a judge issues a warrant.
How, exactly, does that make Cheshire County a Sanctuary?
It doesn’t.
But if Cheshire County taxpayers decide otherwise, they can always get themselves a new Sheriff.
