Overview
- InvestigateWest obtained more than 140 emails from May–July 2026 that show Canyon County misdemeanor probation staff exchanged information with ICE’s Boise office and discussed creating a roster of people born outside the United States for federal review.
- Department director Jeff Breach emailed staff in June asking them to list people they believed were in the country illegally, and at least one officer based nominations on intake answers that said 'not born in US' rather than verified immigration status.
- Canyon County provided a redacted roster of 82 probationers to investigators showing offenses, with 54% on probation for DUI and only seven marked as having an existing ICE hold.
- Emails detail officers notifying ICE of probation appointment dates and times and, in some cases, giving addresses and vehicle information, a practice critics say can turn routine check‑ins into enforcement points.
- Advocates and immigration lawyers warn the use of 'foreign‑born' as a proxy for removability risks detaining naturalized citizens and lawful residents, and the practices sit alongside a pending ACLU lawsuit over a 2025 ICE raid in the county and long‑standing local cooperation with federal immigration agents.