Salisbury, MD — The City of Salisbury and the Salisbury Police Department intend to cooperate with the efforts of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office to assist in the removal of incarcerated individuals who are found not to have legal status in this country.
Chief Dave Meienschein of the Salisbury Police Department explains: “The Salisbury Police Department would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for public safety and the trust we’ve built with our community. Through this 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model, we support and will cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office, all of our law enforcement partners and will always act in the best interest of public safety while safeguarding the trust of all residents within the community. Our goal is simple: to protect everyone in our community with transparency without creating fear or division.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has information about the 287(g) Program on its website. It states, “The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) — authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight.
ICE recognizes the importance of its relationships with its law enforcement partners to carry out its critical mission.”
Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor highlights the value in those law enforcement relationships as well, saying, “We are clearly living in unprecedented times regarding illegal immigration. City of Salisbury law enforcement will certainly cooperate with our County law enforcement partners with any and all agreements as we aid to comply with Federal law.”
According to a press release from Wicomico County dated September 4, 2025:
“Wicomico County announced today its intent to move forward with the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model, a program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) designed to enhance public safety by allowing specially trained officers to serve and execute administrative immigration warrants on individuals already in county custody.
The WSO program is a structured partnership with ICE that gives local law enforcement the authority and training to cooperate in cases where individuals in custody are subject to immigration detainers. A strong working partnership with ICE is beneficial to Wicomico County, as it provides clear guardrails on how immigration-related responsibilities will be handled at the local level, ensuring consistency, accountability, and proper oversight.”
For more information on the 287(g) program, visit https://www.ice.gov/identify-and-arrest/287g.
