Thread: AR: Alien case work moves locally

Alien case work moves locally
BY RICHARD MASSEY

Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2007

SPRINGDALE — Illegal immigrants can be expelled from the United States if they’re caught drinking and driving in Charlotte, N. C.

Four Northwest Arkansas governments are pursuing acceptance into the program that allows that type of local enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Springdale, Rogers, Washington and Benton counties have applied to the federal 287 (g ) program, which gives state and local officials authority to detain, question and process illegal immigrants for deportation. The program covers illegal aliens arrested on misdemeanors and felonies, as well as those in the United States on expired work or student visas.

Preliminary assessments suggest that Northwest Arkansas is ripe for inclusion in the program, area law enforcement officials said. In April, agents with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the 287 (g ) program, visited city and county jails and said that facilities here are sufficient to house and operate federal computer systems.

The region’s law chiefs wouldn’t say if or when the immigration office will approve the applications but that they expect to be accepted. If the agencies are authorized, Benton and Washington counties could have as many as 19 certified agents identifying illegal immigrants, investigating criminal cases and making deportation recommendations to federal judges.

Nationally, there are 20 approved 287 (g ) programs composed of 349 trained officers and 71 agencies in various stages of the application process. Participants include the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Law-breaking immigrants from as close as Mexico and from as far away as China have been deported through the plan.

PROGRAMS IN PLACE Before enforcement begins, approved agencies reach a memorandum of understanding with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chosen officers attend a four-week course where they learn immigration law, document examination and how to initiate the removal process. Statistics maintained by Mecklenburg County, N. C., and Davidson County, Tenn. — two governments that operate under 287 (g ) — show that most deportation orders arise from misdemeanors, not felonies. Those agencies also found that some deportees return to the United States, while others skip their appearance in immigration court and disappear into the woodwork of society.

Mecklenburg and Davidson counties are enduring the pain and uncertainty of operating a new program. Each case is different, and gaps between federal and state laws are often revealed.

“There’s still little things that are popping up, and you always have nuances,â€

[quote]The program in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is the county seat, started in May 2006 under Sheriff Jim Pendergraph. Staffed with 15 agents at the county jail, the Mecklenburg system screens every foreignborn person arrested, regardless of the offense.

“We set the parameters of who we’re going to screen,â€

[quote="zeezil"][quote]The program in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is the county seat, started in May 2006 under Sheriff Jim Pendergraph. Staffed with 15 agents at the county jail, the Mecklenburg system screens every foreignborn person arrested, regardless of the offense.

“We set the parameters of who we’re going to screen,â€