Thread: Harris County TX. (Houston) Adds 9 Deputies to287(g) program

I.C.E. News Release

August 15, 2008

9 Harris County Sheriff Deputies

HOUSTON - Nine sheriff deputies from Harris County have completed a rigorous four-week training program Friday, which authorizes them to enforce federal immigration law under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) "287(g) program."

The training was held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston, S.C. Harris County Sheriff's Office and ICE have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) as authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The signed agreement and training enable officers, supervised by ICE, 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 four-week course provides in-depth training on various enforcement topics, including: immigration law, intercultural relations, and how to use DHS databases to help positively identify criminals and immigration violators. "Each law enforcement agency that participates in the 287(g) program represents a force multiplier to help combat crime in local communities," said Kenneth L. Landgrebe, field office director of the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Houston.

"Our ICE officers look forward to working closely with these newly trained Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies to our mutual benefit, and to the ultimate benefit of public safety." Landgrebe oversees 52 counties in southeastern Texas. "Immigration is one of the most complex issues facing law enforcement today. Addressing illegal immigration effectively requires cooperation between all levels of law enforcement and I am proud to have nine graduates from the 287G program working within our agency.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will continue to work together toward the common goal of making our community safer by identifying and processing illegal aliens within the Harris County jail system" said, Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas.

The 287(g) program is named after the section of law under the INA that authorizes ICE to train local officers to enforce immigration law. The program has received more than $42 million for training and other associated costs under the current fiscal year 2008 budget - up from just over $15 million the program received in 2007.

Currently, 62 local enforcement agencies spanning the nation have signed MOAs with ICE and now more than 840 officers have been trained to enforce immigration law. The officers from those agencies are credited with identifying more than 65,000 individuals with possible immigration violations since the beginning of 2006. The 287(g) program is only one component under the ICE ACCESS (Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security) umbrella of services available to assist local law enforcement officers. ICE ACCESS provides local law enforcement agencies an opportunity to partner with ICE to combat specific challenges in their communities. Other ICE ACCESS enforcement options include the creation of local task forces targeting specific challenges like gangs or document fraud, the presence of a Criminal Alien Program (CAP) team in local detention facilities to identify criminal aliens, or training to utilize the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) which provides officers the ability to inquire about a person's immigration and criminal history.More information about ICE's 287(g) program is available at: Section287(g)

-- ICE --
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.


Last Modified: Friday, August 15, 2008 U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0808/080815houston.htm

Great News but long overdue, they need 90 not 9

Little by little we will regain the USA

A related article. The House Appropriation committee, led by Rep. David Price, NC, gutted the 2008-2009 287(g) budget. This article is in reference to that action:

Immigration: Congressional Miscue Could Compromise Federal-State Cooperation
by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
WebMemo #2020
When Congress failed last year to pass a bloated, wrong-headed immigration and border security bill, few expected the legislators to tackle these contentious issues again any time soon. Nevertheless, Americans who want serious reforms expected that, at the very least, Congress would not make things worse.

Remarkably, a measure in the House version of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill does exactly that by hamstringing the "287g" program, one of the department's most effective initiatives promoting federal, state, and local cooperation in enforcing immigration laws.

The bill cuts funds for any enforcement efforts other than identifying illegal aliens in state and local prisons, jails, and correctional facilities. State and local governments, however, have demonstrated an increased interest in cooperating with DHS regarding a number of20law enforcement activities, including counter terrorism investigations. Subsequently, congressional interference that overly restricts 287g is nonsensical. Congress should restore full funding to the program without any limitations.

Enforcement Is Important
Any effective solution for reducing illegal border crossings and the unlawful population in the United States must address all aspects of the problem: internal enforcement of immigration laws, border security, and the need to create sufficient legal opportunities to help U.S. employers get the workforce they need to grow the economy. Internal enforcement is essential for reducing and deterring the flood of illegal entrants into the United States, as well as for making the challenge of securing America's borders affordable and achievable.

The federal enforcement agencies lack the capacity to aggressively pursue all immigration violations that represent serious criminal and national security threats, much less effectively deter any who wish to defy U.S. immigration laws. DHS does not even have enough resources to deport criminal aliens released from prisons. Furthermore, effective domestic counterterrorism operations and interstate criminal investigations require close cooperation of federal, state, and local investigators.

Establishing Effective Partnerships
Authorized under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the 287g program allows DHS and state and local governments to enter into assistance compacts. Both s ides must agree on the scope and intent of the program before it is implemented, which gives states and local communities the flexibility to shape the programs to meet their needs. State and local law officers governed by a §287(g) agreement must receive adequate training and operate under the direction of federal authorities. In return, they receive full federal authority to enforce immigration law, thereby shifting liability to the federal government and providing the officers with additional immunity when enforcing federal laws.

Five years ago only two states (Florida and Alabama) participated in the program. Today, DHS has over 50 partnerships, and more are on the waiting list. The department has established an office in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to manage the program and created a suite of other partnership initiatives, called ICE Access, to compliment the program.

Congressional Meddling Must Stop
Even as the program's successes have begun garnering national attention, the House version of the annual appropriations cuts funding for any cooperation outside of penal facilities. Under this revision, Florida, for example, which uses the authority for agents assigned to federal Joint Terrorism Task forces, will lose the investigative and arrest authorities that their agents employ for counter terrorism cases.

Restricting funding is likely the first step in any attempt to eliminate the program altogether. Yet given the success of the program, the congressional p rohibition makes no sense. Congress should fully fund the 287g program and allow federal and state authorities to shape assistance compacts in a manner that best suits the needs of both.

James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is Assistant Director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Senior Research Fellow for National Security and Homeland Security in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/wm2020.cfm

This is really good news...thanks for posting the update, great to know the 287G program is moving forward.