Idaho Probation Officers Share Foreign-Born List with ICE, Raising Concerns
Canyon County probation officers compiled a list of foreign-born individuals on probation and shared it with ICE, without verifying their immigration status. Emails show they coordinated appointment times to allow ICE to detain people. Critics have raised alarms about the practice.
The coordination involved senior probation officer Norma Naranjo emailing six ICE agents ahead of a probationer's May check-in, then following up when the individual arrived early to ask if agents were en route. InvestigateWest obtained the communications through records requests, though the emails were heavily redacted and it remains unclear whether any arrests occurred at those appointments.
Canyon County's misdemeanor probation department compiled names based solely on self-reported foreign birth, without distinguishing between undocumented residents, green-card holders, or naturalized citizens. Idaho agencies have historically cooperated with federal immigration authorities for individuals already in custody, but this practice extends that cooperation to routine probation supervision, raising questions about whether legally present individuals could be swept into enforcement actions.
This practice could affect probationers who are legally present in the U.S., including green-card holders and naturalized citizens, who may face detention or removal proceedings despite lawful status. It may also discourage immigrant communities from engaging with the criminal justice system or probation services out of fear, potentially undermining public safety and rehabilitation efforts. The broader impact could include heightened tension between local law enforcement and immigrant populations, as well as legal challenges over privacy and due process in how immigration data is collected and shared.