This guy deserves a medal and all Sheriff's should be doing the same! I'm sure this is getting the word out to contractors and they will stop hiring illegals b/c they know the Sheriff has the law on his side and is enforcing it! Kudos to this Sheriff!

PRESS RELEASE-

January 09, 2008
For Immediate Release

Update on Illegal Alien Enforcement

Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen issued an update today, January 9, 2007, on the illegal alien enforcement effort he began earlier this year.

Since September 2007, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office has conducted twenty-seven construction site visits investigating violations of Florida State Statute 817.568, the criminal use of personal identification information. Once a complaint is received about the presence of illegal aliens working on a construction site, investigators conduct a site visit and ask to review records on employees to validate information used to gain employment.

In September 2007 there were eight arrests and ten warrants issued for individuals using fraudulent social security numbers to obtain employment. In October there were ten individuals arrested. In December 2007 there was one individual arrested on this charge. On twenty-two of the last twenty-seven site visits investigators found no violations by employees.

"I feel the proactive action we have taken has resulted in a sharp decline of illegal aliens using fraudulent social security numbers to get hired in Bay County," Sheriff McKeithen said. " As we investigate complaints, we now find the majority of sites with all employees in compliance."

Sheriff McKeithen also emphasized that this decline in arrests does not mean that construction site visits will slow down. " We will continue to actively follow up all complaints we receive concerning the employment of individuals with fraudulent documentation and stolen social security numbers. I feel that by maintaining our efforts we can maintain success in this effort."