Board of Supervisors to Make Decision on 287g Immigration Law

[JohnDoe2]

Posted: Wed 6:21 PM, Oct 24, 2012
Reporter: Litsa PappasEmail
Updated: Wed 7:10 PM, Oct 24, 2012

Board of Supervisors to Make Decision on Immigration Law

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va – The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors will make a decision Wednesday night on a controversial immigration law.

The law, known as 287G has been in place for the last three years, but it just expired. It gives local law enforcement officers the authority to enforce immigration laws.

One immigrant in the community said the law targets the wrong people.

Isabel Castillo admits she is in the United States undocumented. She moved to this country when she was 6-years-old and has received her education here. She said the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Act, or 287G, is not doing what it was made to do.

"The purpose of this program is to deport high priority cases, you know, felons, serious criminals and we've seen that that's not the case," said Castillo.

She said the group 'Virginia Organizing' found that more than 80-percent of immigrants who were deported under this law had to leave for minor infractions, like traffic tickets.

Castillo said the law is putting people, like her, in danger for no reason.

"Being here in this country without status, without document is not a crime. It's actually a civil infraction. I'm actually undocumented myself, that doesn't make me a criminal. It's a civil infraction to be here."

The Rockingham County sheriff said he will ask the board of supervisors to extend this law, since it just expired. Both the board and the sheriff need to sign off on it, but people, like Castillo, hope that does not happen.

"Our system is broken. Our immigration system is broken. We need comprehensive immigration reform and we don't need these enforcement programs that are just separating innocent individuals and leaving U.S. citizen children without their mother or without their father."

While immigrants, like Castillo, said this law is not just, others said those people are here illegally, so law enforcement has every right to deport them.

Castillo said the law should not get rid of people who are productive in the community like herself. She said the law should just get rid of the criminals instead.

We will have an update to this story after the board of supervisors meeting. Stay tuned to WHSV.com for the latest information.

Board of Supervisors to Make Decision on Immigration Law

[JohnDoe2]

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Letter: Unnecessary allegiance Naples Daily News Arresting and deporting undocumented criminals under the 287(g) Program is what Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk considers a success. The question now is how many of the 4,500 unauthorized held for deportation have been deported as criminals?

Controversial Immigration Program Will Not be Renewed Patch.com Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart delivered a scathing rebuke of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Board meeting Tuesday, after he announced that ICE will no longer fund the 287(g) program that ...

Group rallies in Immokalee to protest Collier County Sheriff's immigration ... The News-Press About 150 people gathered at rally in Immokalee today to protest the Collier Sheriff's Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) working together via 287g program. / Mike Braun/news-press.com. Opponents of a federal immigration enforcement ...

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[JohnDoe2]

Rockingham supervisors decline to renew 287(g) immigration agreement

Posted October 25, 2012


Virginia Organizing leaders are celebrating a victory after the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors declined to renew the 287(g) agreement with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a meeting Wednesday night.

“This was a victory for our community as well as our nation,” Virginia Organizing Harrisonburg Chapter leader Fernando Perez said. “We all fought to ensure that the freedoms of all our community members were protected. The rejection of this contract is a clear call for comprehensive immigration reform rather than more patchwork legislation on the local and state levels that unfairly targets immigrants and criminalizes them. The board’s decision was a testament to the power of effective community mobilization.”

Another Virginia Organizing leader, Maria Pena of Harrisonburg, was also relieved by the decision of the Board of Supervisors.

“We are so happy about the decision. This is a victory for the entire community, not just the Latino community. We are looking forward to experiencing some peace in our families and not living in fear. People in the community are responding to this and we know we are not alone in our relief,” Pena said.

Virginia Organizing reviewed the deportation records in Rockingham and found that 88 percent of those deported in the area were classified in lower-level offense categories such as traffic violations.

Virginia Organizing and other organizations conducted a listening project on this issue and discovered through interviews of local people that of the more than120 Latinos interviewed, 70 percent expressed a fear of police.

Since 2007, Rockingham County has participated in the 287(g) program, which deputizes local police officers to enforce federal immigration law. The intent of the 287(g) agreement is to deport immigrants who commit felonies or serious offenses. However, the execution of this law has been more broadly applied to include those who commit traffic violations or other minor civil offenses.

Rockingham supervisors decline to renew 287(g) immigration agreement | Augusta Free Press

[disgustedamerican]

Talking to the local police I found out that 90% of the latinos here in Rockingham county VA are Illegal. Even with 287g their hands were tied. Todays local papper had the US secritary of the interior HUGGING an outspoken ILLEGAL ALIEN Isabel Castillo!! This was at the Obamas reelection office.