York County Manager Greg Zinser and York County Sheriff William L. King Jr. have issued this joint statement

Earlier this week, one of our York County Jail corrections officers was invited to an immigration appointment in Scarborough and when he arrived, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He remains in custody at Plymouth, Massachusetts facility as of Friday, Jan. 23.

The County of York has a rigorous hiring process. It encompasses an application process, reference and criminal background checks, employment verification and federal I-9 verifications, and other governmental databases to verify status and work permissions to ensure that those we are considering hiring are able to lawfully work here. We hire only those who meet or exceed those requirements.

To the best of our knowledge this individual has never committed any type of crime that would result in the revocation of his legal status. It remains unknown if and/or when his legal status changed. From York County’s perspective, it never received any notification on whether there had been a change in his status. This individual was a contributing and valued member of the staff.

The County of York supports local and federal law enforcement in their various missions.

There are many vacancies at York County Jail. The loss of any individual impacts the already strained workforce.

While enforcement actions are being promoted as targeting the “worst of the worst” the reality appears  far more complicated. Changes in immigration policy have redefined who is considered lawfully present in the United States. Individuals who were previously in compliance with the law are, in our view, now being reclassified – not necessarily because of criminal behavior, but because the rules, or the interpretation thereof, changed.

York County Jail