Border security: Sheriff Dever makes his case with officials in Washington
Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
Jonathon Shacat

BISBEE - Sheriff Larry Dever said federal officials seem interested in well-informed immigration policy decisions as a result of a law enforcement stakeholder meeting this week in Washington.

Dever is vice chairman of the Southwest border sheriffs coalition, and he attended Wednesday's event on behalf of that group. Also attending were representatives of about 20 other law enforcement associations, according to the agenda.

The federal government was represented by about a dozen officials, such as Janet Napolitano, secretary of homeland security; Edmund "Ted" Sexton Sr., assistant secretary of state and local law enforcement; David Heyman, assistant secretary of the office of policy; John Morton, assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Jayson Ahern, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the agenda.

During an interview with the Herald/Review on Friday, Dever said he told the officials that state and local law enforcement agencies need to be involved in making border policies.

"What the federal government does in terms of strategy and policy as it relates to immigration and related crime has a direct and immediate impact on state and local communities and in criminal justice agencies," he said. "When they just sit up there and make decisions and make policies that affect us without ever engaging us in the conversation and consideration, then all kinds of bad things happen and the consequences often are very severe."

For example, he said, federal officials erred in conducting major enforcement efforts in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, which pushed illegal immigration to Arizona. He said the officials should have sought the input of people who live and work near the border.

But, he added, the fact that this law enforcement stakeholder outreach meeting was even held appears to be an honest attempt by federal officials to correct those deficiencies and to reach out to state and local agencies.

Dever said he asked Napolitano if the National Guard would be deployed to the border and she said the idea is still on the table and she expects a decision soon. He said he is encouraged by an indication the Guard could be involved in border interdiction instead of simply building border fencing.

He also is interested in better oversight and management of detention facilities that hold illegal immigrants. He pointed out that many sheriffs contract with the federal government to house federal detainees.

"Tighter controls will no doubt lead to decertification of many of these jails, which will reduce the number of available beds for illegal aliens being prosecuted for illegal entry or other crimes," he said. "This comes at a time when more beds are needed, not less, if we are seriously going to ramp up enforcement and preventive efforts. I see no plan on the horizon to build new facilities in the federal scheme of things."

Not his first D.C. trip

Dever traveled to Washington two other times this year. He attended the National Sheriffs' Association's winter conference in January and he testified before the U.S. House of Representatives' homeland security subcommittee on emergency communications, preparedness and response in late March.

He is on the board of directors for the National Sheriffs' Association and he chairs the group's border security and immigration committee.

Dever's trip in March was funded by the National Sheriffs' Association. The trips in January and this month were funded through his office's budget. He said he thinks the money was well spent.

"I made a decision a long time ago that in order to try to bring a voice and to be heard and to try to effect some kind of meaningful policy change in what was going on in the border, it was going to require an investment of time and resources," he said. "So it was either do that or nothing. There really is no halfway."

reporter Jonathon Shacat can be reached by e-mail at jonathon.shacat@bisbeereview.net.



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