Thread: N.C.: Hagan backs deporting jailed aliens

Hagan backs deporting jailed aliens
Candidate wants federal aid

By Mike Hixenbaugh
Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

RALEIGH – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan says she supports a federal program that allows sheriffs to check the immigration status of their inmates and initiate the deportation process.

However, she told a group of seven North Carolina sheriffs, including Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins, Tuesday that she is concerned about how the program is being run.

The widely publicized 287(g) program trains local deputies to identify illegal immigrants after they commit a crime and then begin the deportation proceedings. Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Hagan's general election opponent, has been a strong advocate of the program and has lobbied for more federal funding to expand it.

Hagan said at the roundtable discussion that, although she also supports the program, she has a number of concerns. Calling the program "yet another unfunded mandate" from Washington, D.C., Hagan said it's vital for the federal government to fully fund the initiative.

Otherwise, the program simply pushes the problems of illegal immigration to the state and county level, Hagan said.

After the 40-minute discussion with the sheriffs, Hagan also said it creates a "patchwork of uneven enforcement" when some counties have the program and others don't.

Nash County does not have the program, but Jenkins told Hagan he wishes his department could afford to implement it.

The problem, as Jenkins and Pitt County Sheriff Mac Manning stated it, is that sheriff's offices in small counties don't have the manpower to allow for the training.

"We have different-sized counties in this state," Jenkins said, sitting across the table from Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey. "What will work with one may not work for all of them. We have to come up with a format where it works for smaller counties and larger counties."

Mecklenburg County officials have reported great success utilizing the program in recent years.

Jenkins said Nash County, where six illegal immigrants were detained as of Tuesday morning, also would benefit from the program "if there was some work done so it would work for counties with a smaller staff."

Hagan agreed, adding that it seems counterproductive for only some counties to keep track of illegal immigrants.

In the end, Hagan said, the true solution is federal immigration reform that secures the borders while still providing employers with the required workforce.

"It's a Band-Aid solution to a problem," Hagan said of the 287(g) program. "We need an overall immigration policy that works. When I look at the whole immigration system in the United States, I think it's another example of what we've been seeing in Washington – that it's broken."

Hagan, who earlier was accused by Dole's campaign of opposing the 287(g) program, is attempting to make inroads among voters worried about illegal immigration. Voters who list immigration as a top issue favor Dole by large margins, according to most polls.

Sheriffs from Durham, Cumberland, Wilson and Hoke counties also participated in the immigration roundtable.

www.rockymounttelegram.com

Published: May 28, 2008 04:52 AM
Modified: May 28, 2008 04:53 AM

Hagan finds promise, peril in immigration

Kristin Collins, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan on Tuesday began the delicate work of staking out a position on immigration, saying that she favors securing the borders and deporting criminals but acknowledging the need for foreign workers.

Addressing what could be a key issue in a pivotal Senate race, Hagan, a Democrat, met with the sheriffs of six counties to discuss a program strongly endorsed by her Republican opponent, Elizabeth Dole. The program allows sheriffs to check the immigration status of jail inmates and begin deportation proceedings. Hagan said she supports deporting criminals but called the program a "Band-Aid" solution that uses local money to solve a federal problem and creates a patchwork of inconsistent enforcement.

"We need an overall immigration policy that works," Hagan said. "We need a policy that is uniform throughout the country."

Dole accused Hagan of supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants and being soft on criminals.

Tuesday's sniping reflects the issue's heated nature, as well as as the close margin in the race for Dole's senate seat. Political analysts say that if Hagan successfully manages immigration and other highly charged "moral issues," she has a chance to beat Dole, the powerful lawmaker who has held the seat since 2002.

Hagan, a state senator, was once seen as a long shot against Dole. But recent polls show Dole and Hagan running a close race, fueling discussion among bloggers, editorialists and pundits that the North Carolina race could be a factor this year in Washington's changing political landscape. A Congressional Quarterly article Tuesday noted that Dole "may be hearing footsteps behind her" as Hagan has closed a 17-point gap to within 5 points, according to Public Policy Polling.

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling, a Democratic group based in Raleigh, said the group's recent polls show Hagan leading among voters who care most about the economy and war. However, Dole has a huge lead among voters concerned about immigration and moral values, capturing nearly 90 percent of people who list those as top concerns, Jensen said.

Those issues are keeping Dole ahead by a small margin, he said. Another poll, conducted for WRAL News, showed Hagan getting 48 percent and Dole 47 percent of voters who responded.

"Democrats are going to win this year in North Carolina on bread-and-butter issues like the economy and the war," Jensen said. "But the deficit is so big on things like immigration that Democrats cannot write off those issues."

But as a Democrat, Hagan must find a careful balance, political analysts say. She needs to win the support of immigrant advocates and those concerned that illegal immigrants are hurting the country.

Dole has taken a strong restrictionist stance, arguing for a crackdown on illegal immigration and lobbying for federal funds to expand the sheriffs program. With Dole's support, federal immigration authorities created a task force in October to figure out how best to use North Carolina sheriffs and police departments in the fight against illegal immigration.

Dole has traveled the state meeting with sheriffs, many of whom complain that people they think are illegal immigrants are crowding their jails, committing a disproportionate number of crimes and killing U.S. citizens.

GOP: Hagan's wrong

Both Dole's campaign and the Republican Party went on the offensive Tuesday, highlighting instances when Hagan publicly criticized the sheriffs program and accusing her of changing her stance. Hagan's campaign said her position has not changed.

"Much like the pro-amnesty crowd in Washington, Kay Hagan just doesn't get it when it comes to immigration enforcement," Linda Daves, chairwoman of the N.C. Republican Party, said in a statement. Daves said Hagan's failure to fully support "a plan that leads to the deportation of known criminal illegal aliens is absolutely baffling."

Hagan struck a measured tone Tuesday, saying that illegal immigrants can depress wages for legal residents while acknowledging that some businesses need immigrant labor. "We want to be the best state in the nation to do business," she said. "And in order to do that, we've got to have workers."

She invited a mix of sheriffs to the meeting, some who supported the deportation program and others who expressed reservations about it.

Wilson County Sheriff Wayne Gay said the program seemed to unfairly target Hispanics for arrest. "When you start targeting a segment of society, and not looking at anyone else, that's when I have a problem," Gay said.

Pitt County Sheriff Mac Manning said most illegal immigrants in his county obey the law and value family and hard work. Manning advocated a path to legal residency for some, such as a woman in Pitt County who has two children and works in a "menial" housekeeping job that he said most Americans wouldn't want.

Some political scientists say there is room for Hagan and other Democrats to create a centrist position and neutralize an issue that Republicans have tried to claim.

Kerry Haynie, a political science professor at Duke University, said many people in both parties don't favor a harsh restrictionist approach.

"Republicans seem to be taking that far extreme position of just being anti-immigrant," Haynie said. "I think it's possible to have a middle-ground position that recognizes the contribution of immigrants."

http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/1087550.html

Hagan cannot be trusted. This is a pure politics. The comments need to be carefully parsed. To say we should wait for the federal government to pay for 287(g) is either dishonest or naive. North Carolina needs to put more funding together for 287(g) and Dole needs to push DHS to get our sheriff's trained quicker. The federal government has ceded immigration enforcement to the state's.

I also read Hagan handpicked Sheriff's that were generally hostile towards 287(g).

This does go to show how important the issue is in North Carolina. In the past, a candidate like Hagan would not even mention illegal immigration.

No one should be fooled by Hagan's craftiness.

Hagan on illegal immigration
Posted May 27th, 2008 at 8:11 PM by SamH
U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan addresses illegal immigration:

“The citizens of North Carolina pay federal taxes,â€

I personally like Senator Hagan and I used to work for her back in the 1990's for many years.

I am very happy to see her take this issue on, but she is going to have to get a lot tougher on illegal immigration to take on Dole.

Elizabeth Dole has been very strong on this issue for the last few years.

William Gheen

Video on youtube of Senator Hagan of North Carolina being questioned about 287 g.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-695165.html#695165

Romans 5:8

She can not wait for the Feds to take ACTION, the struggle against ILLEGALS will have to be fought at the State and Local level until and if the Feds decide to Secure our Borders and Enforce our Immigration Laws!

What she is saying is essentially what McCain is saying - just political posturing and nothing more.

Hagan said at the roundtable discussion that, although she also supports the program, she has a number of concerns. Calling the program "yet another unfunded mandate" from Washington, D.C., Hagan said it's vital for the federal government to fully fund the initiative.

Since she's aware that the federal government won't fund 287g, she's ok with us being sitting ducks, I guess.

Deporting a "jailed illegal" should be an absolute no brainer. It defies logic and reason as to how anyone who stands for the rule of law could come to any other conclusion.

In my opinion, deporting "jailed illegals" does not require one to go out on a limb very far. It's outrageous that it has even come to that with this insanity!!