VALENTINE, Neb. - With immigration policies under President Donald Trump making national headlines, Cherry County officials are clarifying their stance.

Sheriff Rusty Osburn and County Attorney Eric Scott released a joint statement after hearing questions from the public and seeing reports about some Nebraska jurisdictions opting not to enforce immigration laws.

“Federal law creates duties and prohibits State and local law enforcement from failing to comply with lawful immigration directives and requests by federal officers. Cherry County will follow the law,” the statement reads.

The statement also emphasized that their offices will fully cooperate with federal authorities to enforce immigration laws and assist in apprehending “criminal aliens.”

A recent report from Flatwater Free Press highlights the potential impact of large-scale deportation efforts proposed by Trump. Immigration attorneys say that such actions could affect more than 150,000 foreign-born immigrants living in Nebraska. This includes undocumented workers in fields and factories, teens awaiting asylum hearings, longtime community members living legally under temporary protected status, and mixed-status families with U.S.-born children and undocumented parents.

“It’s not just documented vs. undocumented,” Kevin Ruser, who runs the Nebraska College of Law’s Immigration Clinic, told Flatwater Free Press. “You’ve got shades of gray in here … it’s way, way more complicated than that.”