HARRISON COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A brief pursuit involving federal immigration officials and local law enforcement ended Tuesday without injuries in Harrison County, according to Bridgeport Police.
Police said officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiated a pursuit of two men along Route 279.
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The pursuit continued onto Interstate 79 northbound before the suspects exited at White Hall. Authorities said the vehicle then doubled back onto Route 73 and came to a stop near a NAPA warehouse.
One suspect was detained immediately at the scene. The second suspect fled on foot and was later found hiding in bushes near the roadway.
That individual was taken into custody by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. Police said the suspect who was detained at the scene was presumed to have been taken into custody by ICE officials.
The incident did not result in any injuries, according to Bridgeport Police Department.
The pursuit comes amid expanded cooperation between state and federal authorities on immigration enforcement.
In February 2025, Patrick Morrisey announced that West Virginia would join ICE’s Section 287(g) program. The program allows ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement duties to trained state and local law enforcement officers under federal supervision.
Morrisey also signed an executive order directing state agencies to cooperate with ICE and sent a letter urging law enforcement agencies across the state to do the same.
The Section 287(g) program is authorized under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
