Current Amendment: 1 to Bill 4764
The Committee on Judiciary proposes the following amendment (LC-4764.CM0001H):
Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 23-1-260(A)(1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) and inserting:
(1) "Agreement" means a written agreement or memorandum of agreement between a law enforcement agency and a federal immigration enforcement agency as contemplated under 8 U.S.C. Section 1357 or any successor program or statute.
(1)(2) "Correctional facility" means any jail, prison, work camp, or overnight lockup facility whose primary purpose is to manage the custody of detained persons in this State, that is operated by any agency, department, or division of the State or of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision
, or any facility that is privately owned or privately operated that houses detained persons on behalf of the State or any of its political subdivisions pursuant to a valid contract, agreement, or otherwise lawful arrangement.
Nothing in this section may be construed to apply to a "holding cell" as defined in Standard 1005(h) of the Minimum Standards for Local Detention Facilities in South Carolina, promulgated pursuant to Section 24-9-20 and enforced by the Jail and Prison Inspection Division of the Department of Corrections, or any successor standard, policy, or guidance issued by the department.
(2)(3) "Federal immigration enforcement agency" means the United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Customs and Border Patrol, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Department of Justice, or any successor or comparable federal agency, department, or division that is authorized to enforce federal immigration laws.
(3)(4) "Law enforcement agency"
, as used in this section,:
(a) means any
agency, department, or division of the State or of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision, charged with managing the custody of detained persons within a correctional facility in this State:.; and
(a) agency, department, or division of the State or of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision, charged with:
(i) enforcement of all or some of the criminal, traffic, and penal laws of the State, county, or municipality, or federal criminal laws;
(ii) operating a correctional facility; or
(iii) managing the custody of detained persons in this State.
(b) This includes, but is not limited to,
any county or municipal police department
s, sheriff's
officesoffice, state police
departmentsdepartment,
state university and college police departments, the Department of Corrections, andor any state, county, or municipal agency
, department, or division that is charged with operating a correctional facility.
(4)(5) "Law enforcement officer" means:
(a) an appointed officer or employee hired by and regularly on the payroll of the State or any of its political subdivisions, who is granted statutory authority to enforce all or some of the criminal, traffic and penal laws of the State, and who possesses, with respect to those laws, the power to effect arrests for offenses committed or alleged to have been committed, or
(b) a person who is employed by a
law enforcement agency or correctional facility and who is granted statutory authority to oversee or manage the custody of detained persons within said facility;
and
(6) "Manage," when used in the context of the custody of detained persons, means to direct, control, or be legally responsible for the confinement, supervision, or housing of detained persons, whether directly or through subordinate officers or employees, within a correctional facility;
(7) "Operate" means to manage, supervise, administer, or otherwise exercise custody of or authority over a correctional facility; and
(5)(8) "Presiding law enforcement official" means the sheriff, chief of police,
warden, administrator, or other similarly situated individual who is responsible for the overall management of a law enforcement agency.
Amend the bill further, SECTION 1, by striking Section 23-1-260(B), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), and (I) and inserting:
(B) As soon as possible after the effective date of this act, each law enforcement agency operating a correctional facility shall enter into
a written an agreement
or memorandum of agreement with a federal immigration enforcement agency to participate in the immigration program established
pursuant tounder Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996,
8 U.S.C. Section 1357, or any successor or similar federal program
, that authorizes a law enforcement agency to enforce federal immigration law
within a correctional facility.
This subsection does not require a law enforcement agency to participate in a particular program model.
(C) Any agreement
or memorandum of agreement enter entered into
pursuant tounder subsection (B) shall:
(1) be in writing;
(2) identify the particular program model the law enforcement agency will participate in;
(3) delineate the scope, duration, responsibilities and limitations of the participating law enforcement agency to enforce federal immigration law;
(4)(3) specify:
(a) the allocation of costs associated with participation in the agreement by both the participating law enforcement agency and the federal immigration enforcement agency;
and
(b) any financial obligations to be directly borne by the participating law enforcement agency; and
(c) the scope, duration, responsibilities and limitations of the participating law enforcement agency to enforce federal immigration law;
(4) prohibit the law enforcement agency from assigning, designating, or permitting any school resource officer under their authority, if any, to perform, exercise, or participate in any action relating to the enforcement of federal immigration law pursuant to an agreement entered into under this section; and
(5) be attested to in writing by the presiding law enforcement official of the participating law enforcement agency and filed with the Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit established
pursuant tounder Section 23-3-80
and the Office of the Attorney General.
(D) A law enforcement agency operating a correctional facility that does not have a current
memorandum of agreement in effect
as required under subsection (B),
on an annual basis, shall
seekrequest to enter
a memorandum of understandingan agreement with a federal immigration enforcement agency
on an annual basis, as is required under this section. The law enforcement agency must submit proof of an annual request to enter into an agreement to the Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit
established pursuant to Section 23-3-80 and the Office of the Attorney General, in lieu of the proof of a current agreement as required under subsection (C)(5), until
the an agreement is executed
., and the law The law enforcement agency must include any reason
for noncompliance with this section, if applicable. an agreement could not be entered, including, but not limited to, if the federal immigration enforcement agency declines to enter an agreement.
(E)(1) The requirement to enter into an agreement or attempt to enter an agreement under subsections (C) or (D) shall not apply if compliance is determined to be fiscally or operationally impractical.
(2) For purposes of this subsection, compliance is fiscally or operationally impractical, if entering into the agreement would:
(a) require the expenditure of funds not lawfully appropriated or otherwise available;
(b) assume financial obligations that would materially jeopardize the fiscal stability of the political subdivision; or
(c) materially impair the law enforcement agency's ability to perform its core public functions due to documented operational or personnel limitations.
(3) A determination under subsection (E)(1) must be made by formal action of the governing body of the law enforcement agency, supported by written findings of fact, and attested to by the presiding law enforcement official. A determination made under this subsection must be submitted to the Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit in lieu of the proof of an agreement or annual request to enter an agreement as required under subsections (C)(5) and (D).
(E)(F) Notwithstanding a valid agreement under this section or the inability of a law enforcement agency to enter such an agreement, nothing in this section shall restrict a law enforcement officer from enforcing other valid provisions of state immigration law. Nothing in this section shall be construed to hinder or prevent a law enforcement agency or officer from arresting or detaining any criminal suspect on other criminal charges.
(F)(G) The Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit
established pursuant to Section 23-3-80 and the Office of the Attorney General shall maintain a registry of all agreements entered into under
this section between any law enforcement agency and a federal immigration enforcement agency. The Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit established pursuant to Section 23-3-80 and the Office of the Attorney General also shall subsection (C) and maintain a registry of all annual submissions of proof required
pursuant tounder subsection (D)
or determinations of impracticability under subsection (E) for
any law enforcement agencies that have not executed an agreement.
(G)(H) When acting within the scope of authority granted by federal law pursuant to
a validan agreement entered into under this section or any other provision of federal law, a law enforcement officer shall be authorized to arrest any person based on the person's
status as an illegal alienlawful presence in the United States or for a violation of any federal immigration law
, if such authority is specifically granted by the agreement or at the direction of a federal immigration enforcement agency.
(H)(I) A law enforcement officer
, or government official or employee
on behalf of a law enforcement agencyof this State or political subdivision of this State, acting in good faith to enforce immigration laws
pursuant to a memorandum orunder an agreement
with a federal immigration enforcement agency to collect or share immigration status information, or to carry out any provision ofentered into under this section,
shall haveand any agency, department, county, municipality, political subdivision, or other governmental entity of this State that enters into or acts in good faith pursuant to such an agreement, is immunityimmune from damages or liability
arising from
and act or omission occruing within the scope of the agreementthese actions.
(I)(J)(1) A law enforcement agency failing to demonstrate compliance with this section may be subject to administrative penalties not involving withholding of general funds including, but not limited to, internal oversight review, reporting obligations, temporary suspension, or conditional approval of eligibility for discretionary grant awards administered through the Department of Public Safety, until the law enforcement agency demonstrates compliance with this section. However, submission of proof of an annual attempt to enter into an agreement, as required pursuant to subsection (D), shall constitute compliance for purposes of this subsection and shall provide the law enforcement agency, its officers, and employees immunity from administrative liability arising under this section. The Office of the Attorney General shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of this section.
(2) If the Attorney General determines that a law enforcement agency is not in compliance with the requirements of this section, the Attorney General may bring an action in the name of the State in a circuit court seeking declaratory relief, injunctive relief, or a writ of mandamus to compel compliance with this section. The court shall have jurisdiction to issue such orders as are necessary to enforce the provisions of this section.
(3)(a) A law enforcement agency that has entered into an agreement under subsection (B) and has submitted proof as required under subsection (C)(5), constitutes compliance and bars an action instituted against a law enforcement agency under this section.
(b) If the agreement is terminated, suspended, canceled, or otherwise discontinued by a federal immigration enforcement agency, that event does not render the law enforcement agency noncompliant with this section. Actions are barred under this section based solely on that termination, suspension, cancellation, or discontinuance by a federal immigration enforcement agency.
(c) In such an event as contemplated by subsection (J)(3)(b), the law enforcement agency shall submit proof of the federal action in lieu of the requirement contained in subsection (C)(5) and, in each ensuing year, comply with the provisions of subsection (D) or (E), as applicable.
(4) A submission of proof of an annual request to enter into an agreement, or fiscal or operational impracticability, as required under subsections (D) or (E), constitutes compliance and bars an action instituted against a law enforcement agency under this section.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.