Troopers To Track Down Illegal Immigrants

Posted: 6:20 PM Jul 22, 2008
Last Updated: 7:44 PM Jul 22, 2008
Reporter: Lauri Martin
Email Address: lmartin@kktv.com

A Some Colorado State troopers are now part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. What that means is during regular traffic stops, if the driver or any passenger is an illegal immigrant, the trooper can arrest them.

This is a relatively new program in Colorado that started a year ago. That's when 23 Colorado State troopers got certified as ICE agents.

In the past 12 months in Colorado, they've arrested 1000 illegal immigrants. Of those, more than 200 were convicted criminals.

Trooper Sean Sloan is one of only six certified ICE agents in Southern Colorado. While his primary job is patrolling the streets, his job title also allows him to keep illegal immigrants off of Colorado roads.

"Just because they are an illegal immigrant doesn't mean we immediately take them into custody. There is criteria that we follow involving when and how to take action pertaining to immigration," said Sloan.

The troopers can't pull over suspected illegal immigrants for no reason. They have to be breaking a traffic law first.

Nationwide in the past two and a half years, 60,000 illegal immigrants were detained by state patrol troopers.
http://www.kktv.com:80/news/headlines/25781264.html