FORD COUNTY -On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders in keeping with campaign promises to boost border security and crack down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

The executive orders jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and strip funding for so-called sanctuary cities, which don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Dodge City Police Chief Drew Francis responded to the president’s actions.

“I’ve read the executive order President Trump signed on January 25th, 2017, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” I want all the people in Dodge City to know that this order does not change how we will serve the public.

“We are still here to serve and protect everyone, regardless of their immigration status. We’ve heard of some false information being spread in our community. To clear that up, please note, we cannot legally pull any person over based on race or ethnicity, for example.

“This new order by President Trump is targeting people who have already committed crimes. If you don’t commit any criminal acts, other than just being undocumented, you have nothing to worry about from the Dodge City Police Department.

“When any officer of the Dodge City Police Department makes an arrest, that arrestee is booked into the Ford County detention facility of the Ford County Sheriff’s Office. The detention center already fully complies with any ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs  Enforcement) holds that come in regarding any inmate in their custody. Our community does not qualify as a ‘Sanctuary City.’

“This executive order does authorize federal entities’ broader action in relation to criminal aliens. What this means for us locally is if a subject is taken into custody for a criminal act, ICE has the ability to place a hold on that subject in a broader range of criminal actions and without the need for a conviction first. Again, the good news is, if you don’t commit any criminal acts aside from just being in the U.S. illegally, then you have nothing to worry about from the local police.

“We, the local police, are not interested in pursuing ‘undocumented’ members of the community for the immigration status crime alone. If you are a victim of a crime, please don’t hesitate to call us for help. As we’ve said before, everyone deserves to be safe.”