Fayetteville — Cumberland County Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler wants to join the effort to identify illegal immigrants who break the law.

Butler has applied to participate in a federally funded program that provides training for law enforcement to identify, process and detain people that have been arrested and who are found to be are in the U.S. illegally.

The training is provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Butler said he would like six or seven detention center deputies to receive the five-week training.

The county's request to participate in the program could take two years for approval, authorities said.

Mecklenburg, Gaston, Alamance and Cabarrus counties in North Carolina already participate in the program.

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