Hennepin County sheriff threatened with federal charges over access to inmates

Federal officials are threatening criminal charges against Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Cook County, Illinois, Sheriff Tom Dart after they reportedly declined to give immigration agents access to inmates subject to deportation. According to the New York Times, these threats assert that failing to hand over sought-after inmates could lead to federal charges of witness tampering. Legal experts reported that the threatened charges would likely be difficult to prosecute.