Mississippi DA launches local deportation efforts to remove undocumented illegal immigrants in county jail

DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton on Friday announced, "Operation Final Departure," which will remove illegal immigrants housed in the county jail, Action News 5 reported.

Barton said in a statement, "The cost of illegal immigration should not be shouldered by Mississippi taxpayers. The federal government has neglected its duty to enforce immigration laws, so it’s time for local officials to step up. When President Trump returns to the White House, his administration will have a partner in Mississippi on day one to ensure that individuals who commit crimes in Mississippi while unlawfully in the US are promptly deported."

Barton’s office will work with federal agencies and Tom Homan, the newly appointed border czar for the Trump administration, to come up with a strategy addressing "the issue of criminal activity among illegal immigrants in DeSoto County," and a formal plan will be sent to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by January 15, 2025.

He said that the plan will align with the priorities of the Trump administration, "ensuring a seamless transition to stronger enforcement of immigration laws under President Trump’s leadership."

Barton said, "Venezuelan gangs, and who knows what else, are here in the Mid-South. That is why I am committed to working alongside federal agencies, President Trump’s administration, and the military to ensure a tough, no-excuses approach to criminal activity by individuals unlawfully present in the United States."

The Friday announcement stated that 16 illegal immigrants were being held in DeSoto County Jail, while Barton told the outlet that there were actually 17 as of Friday. Public Information Officer for the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, Tish Clark, said that there were 13, all having an ICE hold.