Thread: Carpentersville: Deportation-training funds delayed ???

Anybody else hear about this? William, while your in Washington DC ask them to release the funds ASAP. I wonder if they don't release funds and a city is willing to pay for it -if they can still take part in the training... Geesch, give us a tool and then make it impossible to use it. Well October isn't that far away. Waukegan can jump all the other hurdles and be ready by then.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 6764.story

Deportation-training funds delayed

By Ray Quintanilla, Tribune staff reporter. Freelance reporter George Houde contributed to this report

July 18, 2007

Carpentersville will have to wait until October to learn whether federal money is available to train police officers to question suspects about their immigration status, a village official said Tuesday.

"We requested funds to pay for this training," said Carpentersville Trustee Judy Sigwalt. "Basically, we are being told nothing will happen until after the new fiscal year."

Carpentersville is moving ahead with plans to participate in a program that allows local police to start deportation proceedings against immigrants convicted of serious crimes.

Village Manager Craig Anderson told trustees at their meeting Tuesday night that Carpentersville's request to join the program "has passed most of the hurdles at the review stage in Washington, D.C., and now rests with the deputy secretary of Homeland Security."

The northwest suburb joins Waukegan in seeking to participate in a program that Hispanic groups allege targets Spanish-speaking people for scrutiny.

On Monday, the Waukegan City Council voted 7-2 not to reconsider its decision to apply for the federal program, which allows local officers to act as de facto immigration agents. An estimated 3,000 people attended a rally outside Waukegan City Hall, many of them to protest the program.

The program was authorized in 1996 when Congress approved the 287(g) provision of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. However, local and state police departments didn't seek the training until 2002.

Under the program, selected police officers can question people they arrest about their immigration status, check their documents and, if necessary, begin the deportation process.

Since 2006 in North Carolina, more than 1,000 people arrested have been referred for deportation under the program.

In Riverside County, Calif., one of four Southern California counties to receive authority under the program, officials say nearly 700 immigrants have been marked for deportation hearings.

Thus far, 21 state, county and local law-enforcement agencies are participating in the program, said Mike Gilhooly, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Once we enter into an agreement of understanding with the agency, there is training that takes place, and we then provide them access to our databases," he said.

In areas where law-enforcement agencies work as de facto immigration agents, trained officers conduct extensive interviews of those taken into custody, Gilhooly said. A Immigration and Customs database is then used to determine the suspect's legal status, he said.

If the suspect is not a citizen or does not have authorization to be in the United States, deportation efforts could begin, regardless of whether the person faces criminal charges, he said.

We should get a campaign going to slam Chertoff's office and tell him to fund the 287g programs "we want our laws enforced" he can tell congress to stop all funding to groups like LaRaza and use it for law enforcement, stop aid to Mexico it is their citizens mostly causing us and causing us so many problems. Or throw the man out if he can not do his job!!!!

And besides we should have Chertoff investigated to see where the billions he is receiving is spent, come on no fence, no more border patrol I would like to see just what he has done!!! and no now funding for 287g give us a break!!

Perhaps we could send emails to Sens Session, Vitter, and Dole, and Reps Paul, Tancredo, and Hunter and ask them how much money Chertoff has been given, and what he has done with it. Also, where is all the fence money that was approved, and why 287g programs have to "wait."

I agree, lets do it and see if one of us get an answer!!