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Hispanics unsure of sheriff’s new plan
by Alsy Acevedo , AACEVEDO@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
published February 11, 2007 12:15 am
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HENDERSONVILLE — Dozens of Henderson County residents attended a community meeting Saturday to learn more about a federal program that allows local law enforcement to be trained as immigration officers.

The program has raised many questions for local Hispanics.
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“The biggest concern is that we have heard that driving without a license is a crime,” said Patrick Tapia, executive director of the Latino Advocacy Coalition. “Would someone be arrested and deported for driving without a license?”

According to Sheriff Rick Davis, who hosted the meeting, it’s possible.

“The only time an officer can ask for a person’s identification is during a traffic violation,” Davis said. Normally, when a person is driving without a license, the officer just gives him a ticket. But if the person is stopped for impaired driving and doesn’t have a license, it’s more likely the person will be detained, regardless of his legal status.

Once in jail, the officers would be able to check legal status through the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement database and start the deportation process.

About 12 Henderson County officers will be trained as immigration officers through the program, which is set to start in six to eight months. It would follow just eight other agencies around the country with trained immigration agents, including the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department.

According to the Asheville Metro Business Research Center, about 8 percent of the county’s nearly 98, 000 residents are Hispanic.

Board president of the Latino Advocacy Coalition Sarah Núñez is pleased that the lines of communication between the Hispanic community and the Sheriff’s Department are open.

“I think there are still a lot of unanswered questions,” she said, “so we are looking forward to have more community meetings with the Sheriff’s Department in the future.”
Contact Alsy Acevedo at 828-232-5964, via e-mail at aacevedo@gannett.com