The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will no longer prevent employees from working with immigration enforcement.

Although the department maintains immigration matters are not its responsibility, a consent decree it signed Wednesday with the state Attorney General’s Office overrules a previous prohibition on employees communicating with other authorities about immigration and citizenship status.

The agreement is the latest development in a two-year legal battle between Attorney General Todd Rokita and Sheriff Rueben Marté.

Rokita challenged Monroe County’s policy against engaging in immigration enforcement unless required for their official duties.

Under a state law passed this year, governmental bodies and universities in Indiana can’t limit employees taking “actions with regard to information of the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of an individual.”

The sheriff’s office implemented the revised policy because of the new changes to state code. It will not change the remaining part of the lawsuit, which would require the sheriff’s department to detain individuals based on immigration status.

Office personnel may now gather information about immigration status and share it with other government entities.