Freeholders OK immigration-enforcement proposal

By MIKE MATHIS
Burlington County Times

MOUNT HOLLY — The Burlington County Board of Freeholders today approved a proposal by the county sheriff to deputize sheriff’s officers and corrections officers for immigration enforcement duties.

County Sheriff Jean Stanfield’s and county jail warden Juel Cole said implementing the plan would allow their officers to investigate whether an inmate is an illegal alien and, if so, hold the person on a federal detainer without bail.

The detainer would remain in place until a defendant’s case is adjudicated, and the defendant would then be turned over to federal authorities for deportation.

At present, getting a federal detainer through the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency to hold a defendant could take up to 24 hours, during which time the inmate could be released on bail.

“If someone posts the bail, we have to let them go,â€