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Immigration Plan by JSO Raises Racial Profiling Fears
Posted By: Jackelyn Barnard 1 hr ago

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is working in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and a number of Florida law enforcement agencies to track down criminals and immigration violators.

The initiative is under ICE's 287(g) program. It has stirred controversy in other parts of the country. And now it's coming to Jacksonville.

First Coast News has learned ten corrections officers from the Duval County Jail are training at the Florida Law Enforcement Training Center in South Carolina.

According to ICE, the JSO signed an agreement with the federal agency which enables officers to "legally identify criminal and illegal aliens that they may encounter, and to initiate removal proceedings for those found to be in the country illegally."

The JSO declined to talk about the initiative on camera. A spokesperson said the JSO wanted to wait until after the officers graduate from the program.

However, Sheriff John Rutherford told ICE last month, "We look forward to working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to weed out illegal criminal aliens in our community."

But not everyone is happy about the program.

"The shortages we have in Corrections, why are we taking ten officers now for what I believe is not an issue in Jacksonville, being illegal aliens?" asks Fraternal Order of Police President Nelson Cuba.

Cuba isn't the only one raising a red flag about the partnership.

The ACLU has asked JSO for more information about the initiative, seen by some as local law enforcement taking up federal work.

Zeina Salam, an ACLU attorney, says she sees the partnership as an opportunity for corrections officers to racially profile.

"When you have local law enforcement doing immigration laws, you're gonna get rampant racial profiling...they'll be stopped because they are brown and may be detained." Salam says her concern is some will be detained longer for no legal reason.

Another concern some have is the partnership may damage the already strained relationship between the police and the Hispanic community.

"These victims of crimes, these Hispanics, will be reluctant to speak to JSO because they'll think the only reason they want to talk to me is to get me, if they are illegal aliens," said Cuba.

The sheriff's offices in Brevard and Manatee County are also taking part in the program.

You can read more in the latest edition of Hola Noticias, our Hispanic Newspaper parnter. The newspaper is available at many Spanish speaking restaurants and stores across the First Coast.

www.firstcoastnews.com