Bryan Police Reports Immigration And Customs Enforcement Officers Are In Town

Screen shot from a Bryan police news release.

The Bryan police department reports immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) officers are in town.

The news release does not say what if any presence Bryan police officers will have in ICE operations. A BPD spokesman tells WTAW News the department will have “zero presence”.

The release does say BPD officers “remain prepared to respond to any public safety concerns and will continue to enforce local and state laws as necessary to protect residents, visitors, and first responders.”

BPD chief Dean Swartzlander is quoted as saying “While we respect and uphold the constitutional rights to free assembly and free expression, those rights do not include interfering with active law enforcement operations or placing public safety at risk. Our priority is the safety of our community.”

News release from Bryan police:

The Bryan Police Department (BPD) has been notified that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is conducting federal law enforcement operations within the city limits.

Immigration enforcement is a federal matter. As a federal agency, ICE has the legal authority and duty to enforce federal laws within local communities.

BPD would like to remind the public that interfering with any local, state, or federal law enforcement activity is illegal and creates serious safety risks for everyone involved. While the Constitution protects free speech and peaceful assembly, those protections do not allow individuals to enter or disrupt active law enforcement areas.

Just as the public is kept back from accident scenes, fire responses, or secured crime scenes, similar safety boundaries are in place during active law enforcement operations. These measures are necessary to protect the public, officers, and first responders.

“The Bryan Police Department is not involved in federal law enforcement, including immigration and customs enforcement. Our officers are here to protect public safety and enforce local and state laws,” said Bryan Police Chief Dean Swartzlander. “While we respect and uphold the constitutional rights to free assembly and free expression, those rights do not include interfering with active law enforcement operations or placing public safety at risk. Our priority is the safety of our community.”

BPD officers remain prepared to respond to any public safety concerns and will continue to enforce local and state laws as necessary to protect residents, visitors, and first responders.

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