Hodgson Apologizes For Public Records Snafu
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is apologizing to a civil rights group for failing to meet a deadline for the release of public records about a Federal immigration program.
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice claims Hodgson violated the state's public records law by not releasing the records, and filed suit Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court. The Lawyers Committee had made the request in January.
Hodgson tells WBSM News, his office was deluged with requests about his plan to have inmates help with the construction of president trump's border wall and fell short on meeting the deadline.
"We just missed the deadline. We knew the request had come in, we just fell short on meeting the window of the deadline. All we can do now is go forward and make sure it never happens again," said Hodgson.
The Lawyers Committee had requested information on a Federal immigration enforcement program called 287G that will allow the Sheriff's staff to identify and detain inmates who enter the country illegally.
Hodgson says all the information has now been sent to the civil rights group.