County residents safer because of partnership

LEE VASCHè

November 8, 2007

Marion County residents will be safer thanks to a new county partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As part of the Federal 287(g) program, Marion County law enforcement is able to transfer illegal immigrants to ICE who commit crimes for deportation.

The Statesman Journal reported recently that Marion County has begun to submit regularly to ICE lists of foreign-born individuals booked into the Marion County jail. If ICE believes a person on the list is an illegal immigrant, a "hold" can be placed on the individual.

Once a local judge orders the inmate to be released from jail, ICE will take custody of the illegal immigrant within 48 hours. So instead of being back on the streets, criminal illegal immigrants will be transferred to ICE custody to then face deportation.

Marion County is joining dozens of American counties that are successfully partnering with ICE through the 287(g) program. Hundreds, if not thousands of illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes now are deported rather than being released into U.S. neighborhoods.

We have more than enough home-grown criminals. We do not need to import them from foreign countries.

Open-borders advocates claim that Oregon law prohibits local law enforcement from inquiring into a person's immigration status. That is absolutely not true (ORS 181.850).

Oregon law does prohibit law enforcement from conducting wholesale immigration raids, arresting people based solely on their perceived immigration status. Oregon law does not, however, restrict local law enforcement from inquiring into a person's immigration status once they are arrested for other criminal offenses, including misdemeanors and felonies (ORS 181.850 sections 2 and 3).

Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau has raised questions about this program because detaining criminal illegal aliens will take up precious jail space. I'm disappointed in Mr. Beglau because it is preposterous to assert that holding these illegal immigrants a few extra days will result in a dramatic increase in jail occupancy. As I mentioned, the illegal immigrant criminals are transferred to ICE within 48 hours of a release order by a local judge.

Isn't public safety the county's highest priority? If Marion County cannot handle this small increase in jail occupancy, then we simply need more jail space.

Marion County should cut nonessential programs to fund more jail space if it means keeping dangerous criminals off our streets. As a last resort, the county probably could fund this program with voluntary donations from the public. I would be the first to send in $100 if it meant keeping even a single criminal illegal alien out of my neighborhood!

We cannot solve the illegal immigration crisis overnight, but I hope you'd agree this is a great start. At the very least, we should all support Marion County in doing its part to remove the illegal immigrants who commit crimes from our community.

www.statesmanjournal.com