This article is in our local paper this morning. I love the quote that the sheriff is going after the baddest of the illegals, that he won't let any one bully them (reference to what the activist did to Waukegan officals when they were going to apply for 287g. This county jail is IN Waukegan -so it could make for more changes in our 'sanctuary city.'

Note that they will use video conferences! And finally, spread the word to your local sheriff.





Sheriff applies for immigration authority
'Not against illegals per se, but the baddest of the illegals'

December 4, 2007
By JIM NEWTON jnewton@scn1.com

With no prior fanfare, the Lake County Sheriff's Office has applied for federal Immigration Act authority to allow corrections officers to begin deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants convicted of certain serious offenses.

Sheriff Mark Curran and Wayne Hunter, the county's director of homeland security, announced the move Monday morning. Hunter said he submitted the formal application to Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week at the direction of the sheriff.


The Lake County Sheriff's Office has applied for federal Immigration Act authority to allow corrections officers to begin deportation proceedings against some illegal immigrants. Sheriff Mark Curran is pictured on the right.
(News-Sun file)

Timing chills protest

The timing of the Lake County Sheriff's Office request for federal immigration authority was calculated to discourage protest, according to the president of the Waukegan Council of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"The timing is of interest. The Christmas holiday is coming, and it's cold out," Margaret Carrasco said Monday afternoon. "I think they intentionally waited until this time of year to announce it."

Carrasco said that while she favors deportation of those convicted of serious crimes, she and others are concerned that the authority may be used against people being held on minor charges and those who are innocent of charges.

Carrasco also said she believes officials in the sheriff's office may hope to receive federal funding by becoming part of the deportation process.

The move may also further alienate the immigrant community in terms of its perception of police, she said, leading to additional hesitation to report crimes and cooperate with local authorities.

Curran said the decision to seek federal 287 (g) status for certain specially trained corrections officers in the county jail was made by himself, Undersheriff Charles Fagan and Hunter with approval of the county administration.

"This is not open to debate or discussion," Curran said. "We decided no one's going to bully us. It's the right thing to do."

Curran indicated that protests in Waukegan earlier this year over Waukegan's decision to seek 287 (g) status played a role in the decision not to announce the application before it was formally submitted.

He added that the application was a matter of public record and that officials made sure the decision was on firm legal ground.

Officials stressed that the sheriff's office will not use the authority to conduct sweeps or to use deputies on patrol as immigration officers. The authority is only being sought for certain corrections officers working in the jail, Hunter said.

Curran said the authority would be used to begin deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants convicted of violent crimes, sex offenses and Class X or Class 1 drug felonies. The inmates would serve their prison terms before being deported.

The move is "not against illegals per se, but the baddest of the illegals," Curran said.

Officials said that in addition to removing major criminals from the local population, the measure may eventually help reduce crowding in the jail by repeat offenders because those who are deported and return to the United States face increasingly serious penalties for re-entry violations.

The jail reports all illegal immigrant arrests to ICE. The new authority would allow corrections officers to conduct the data collection and paperwork necessary to begin deportation proceedings against major criminals.

Hunter said the plan calls for computer equipment and video monitors that will allow video conference hearings to be held in Waukegan instead of Chicago.

"It will allow the Lake County Sheriff's Office to meet ICE halfway," he said.

Hunter said the ICE approval process is a slow one, and that he expects approval to be at least a year away. But he said as the first sheriff's office in Illinois to make the request, the county may have beaten the rush.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article