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Davidson County immigration deputies' only role is in public safety

By DARON HALL


Published: Wednesday, 08/22/07

Tennessee Voices

As I read The Tennessean Tuesday, I realized much ink was dedicated to the illegal immigrant debate. What was missing on the Opinion page as well as a Local-front story was the real truth behind the Davidson County Sheriff's Office 287(g) program.

This program allows highly trained DCSO Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deputies to check the immigration status of every foreign-born person booked into the jail. It is extremely important to point out that if you are a law-abiding immigrant in this community, you will never have contact with ICE deputies. These officers do not go into the community and conduct "raids" or "round-ups." They do not have the authority to ask anyone outside of the Criminal Justice Center's booking room for proof of citizenship or legal residence. If you receive a citation from a Metro police officer in lieu of arrest, you will not be interviewed by DCSO ICE deputies.

Some have expressed concern about being afraid of "every single person who wears a uniform ... immigration agent or sheriff's agent … because all of them have the authority to ask for documents." Nothing could be further from the truth. Our ICE deputies, again, can only ask for documents behind the jail walls. Should someone ever encounter a DCSO deputy asking for immigration documents other than in the jail, it should be reported immediately.

Since April 16, more than 1,500 foreign-born arrestees have been interviewed. Of those, 1,159 have been set for removal from this country. Yes, some of those were brought to jail by police officers for traffic offenses, but a greater number were brought for a variety of other offenses including but not limited to 225 for DUI, 42 for assault, 35 for domestic violence, 14 sex crimes, 75 for drug-related charges, as well as homicide, child rape and kidnapping. In addition, nearly 90 of these individuals have either been previously ordered deported out of the U.S. and never left or previously physically deported and returned. Many only want to talk about those who are processed after being arrested simply for "a broken tail light or expired driving certificate." What they can't tell you — and we can't tell you due to federal laws — is what kind of previous encounters many of these people have had with ICE. And, let's be clear: If someone is set for removal, no matter what their arresting offense, it is because they are in this country illegally.

On Aug. 9, three people arrested on carjacking and aggravated robbery charges were processed by ICE deputies. One admitted to being a member of a Texas-based gang. He had been previously deported after a criminal conviction and is now being referred for federal criminal prosecution. Another was a federal fugitive wanted on a kidnapping warrant. The third was also identified as illegal with no previous ICE contact. These are examples of criminals 287(g) is removing from our community.

My role as Davidson County sheriff is to protect this county, and public safety is my ultimate concern. For those who continue to question what happens under the guidelines of 287(g), you should understand that crimes committed by illegal immigrants, or the death of another resident at the hands of an illegal immigrant who has previously come through our jail, are unacceptable.

We will continue to work with local advocates and others to ensure a quality program and will work diligently to make certain the right message is communicated to the Nashville community.

Published: Wednesday, 08/22/07

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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 20444/1097


Psalm 91