Dole wants to make Alamance County regional immigration hub UPDATED
By Robert Boyer/Times-News
September 11, 2007 5:54 PM
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, federal immigration officials and some Piedmont Triad sheriffs are considering the Alamance County jail as a regional center to detain and process illegal immigrants.

But the federal government will need to ante up at least $6 million for more jail space and other costs before he agrees to such a move, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson says.

On Aug. 31, Dole and immigration officials met in Greensboro with Johnson and sheriffs from
Guilford, Forsyth, Randolph and Rockingham counties.
Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes called the meeting and Dole requested to attend after officials from the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement were invited, says Randy Jones, Johnson’s spokesman.

Barnes and the other sheriffs are among lawmen throughout the state who are interested in taking part in the Department of Homeland Security’s 287(g) program. Since March, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office has been part of 287(g), an initiative that trains and authorizes local law enforcement as federal immigration and customs agents.
Alamance County is one of only a handful of such agencies in the state that have joined the controversial program.

Some immigration activists worry that 287(g) unfairly targets Hispanics here legally and illegal immigrants who are otherwise law-abiding. Johnson has said repeatedly that his office is only interested in targeting illegal visitors who are committing serious crimes.

Dole, a Republican, is touting regional cooperation on the 287(g) program as an efficient and cost-effective tool to process those here illegally who have committed crimes, says Dole spokesman Amy Auth.

During the Senate’s August break, Dole met with sheriffs from about 40 Tar Heel counties. “She and her office have reached out to nearly all 100 North Carolina sheriffs,â€