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On immigration, Beshear signals intent to 'evaluate anything and everything' that comes through his office

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gather for a briefing before an enforcement operation, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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AP
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gather for a briefing before an enforcement operation, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says his office is not aware of any immigration-related raids in the commonwealth and the state has not been asked to participate. But the governor was also questioned about what the state would do if federal immigration authorities do begin making requests.

The Democratic governor did express some concerns about efforts to deputize state or local law enforcement to act on immigration — a move the Trump administration has laid the groundwork for — citing specialized training needed in some cases.

As for any specific request that could be come from federal authorities, the governor stopped short of saying the state would or wouldn't take part.

"I would want to evaluate anything and everything that comes to us."
Gov. Andy Beshear, on federal immigration requests

"I'm not into hypotheticals. I would want to evaluate anything and everything that comes to us," he said during his Thursday press briefing.

Beshear said his approach would be one that balanced the importance of enforcing immigration laws with the reality of the difficult choices facing many immigrants.

"Border security is national security. We must enforce our immigration laws, but also understanding that many of these people are are fleeing violence and oppression. And we ought to be recognizing that while we are enforcing our immigration laws, they are people. They are children of God," he said.

The governor noted there are already cases where state police provide support for federal immigration enforcement, and that's been true across Democratic and Republican administrations.

The Latest in Kentucky

The questions come on the heels of a federal immigration action that did result in the detention a man in Madison County after he appeared in state court this week. The policy of focusing on arrests of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes is aligned with ICE's traditional role.

In Lexington, Mayor Linda Gorton said ICE has had a desk inside the city's jails for years, and inmates have been vetted by the agency. She said she's aware of only two inmates in the last three years who have been of interest to ICE.

"What that says is we don't have violent criminals here who are undocumented, and that's a good thing for Lexington. My sense is they're focusing on other places, and we want people to be calm," Gorton told WUKY. "We don't know of any activity here."

On the state level, Jeremy Bacon with ICE addressed a question about whether there is enough personnel and resources to undertake mass enforcement efforts during a hearing in Frankfort in November. Without a presidential order at the time, Bacon kept his response brief.

"I can tell you that there were limited manpower wise, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," he said.

But reports of increasing arrests at the outset of Trump's second term signal changes — the extent of which is uncertain at this point.

The National Picture

ICE reported it made an average of 710 immigration arrests daily from Thursday through Monday, up from a daily average of 311 in a 12-month period through September under President Joe Biden. If that rate holds, the Associated Press reports would surpass ICE’s previous high mark set in the Obama administration, when daily arrests averaged 636 in 2013.

While the administration has vowed to focus on detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, NBC News reports numbers it obtained regarding an spike in operations over the weekend are casting some doubt on that promise.

Data acquired by the network showed at least 566 people arrested nationwide on Sunday had "not committed any crimes and were only detained because they lacked legal authorization to remain in the United States."

Lexington immigration attorney Heather Hadi says she's fielding calls she describes as "frantic" and "concerned."

"We weren't that surprised at some of the executive orders coming out on day one. We were surprised at how quickly they were being enforced," she said.

But right now, Hadi's message is one of calm and preparation. She says with ICE agents having access to schools, churches, and stores, it's important for immigrants, undocumented or in mixed-status families, to have a plan and know their rights.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.