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Immigration officials meet with Putnam leaders
By MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
Original publication: January 27, 2006)

CARMEL — U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents met yesterday morning with local leaders to explain their duties and priorities in enforcing laws.

The 10 a.m. joint meeting at the offices of the Putnam County Law Department was called by Rep. Sue Kelly, R-Katonah — though she was not present — and attended by Brewster Mayor John Degnan, Southeast Supervisor John Dunford, Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith, aides from Kelly's office and four representatives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

The meeting was held to address unrest in the village over illegal immigration and the pressure on local politicians from residents to control the problem.

"ICE articulated their mission statement. They were able to cite statistics," Degnan said afterward, referring to statements by the agency that it had tried to deport 2,300 convicted felons from this region in the past year. "We got a really good overview of what federal officials are capable of doing."

The meeting was not open to the public, but in the draft minutes produced by Village Clerk Bernadette Martabano, ICE representative Jim Mooney said the agency had limited resources and that its No. 1 priority was terrorists. Another federal official, Salvatore Dalessandro, elaborated that the agency did not have the authority to do street sweeps or ask an illegal immigrant for documentation without probable cause.

"The aliens coming to work and send(ing) money to their family aren't a priority," Dalessandro said, according to the minutes. "It has shifted to criminal alien activity through customs, terrorism, attorneys with illegal marriages. We have so much more additional responsibilities."

The discussion comes shortly after eight men were charged with criminal trespass after being seen playing soccer at the Garden Street Elementary School playground on Jan. 9 when school was in session. All eight are Hispanic and admitted to being in the country illegally. One, Juan Jiminez, now faces deportation proceedings. ICE officials had said they would follow up with the other seven.

Degnan asked ICE that if its primary mission was to look at "serious felons," were there extenuating circumstances behind the agency's arrest and detention of Jiminez? Mooney responded that he did not know specific details and that the Office of Detention and Removal, a division of ICE, was handling the case.

ICE officials gave the local officials booklets detailing successful models for day-laborer hiring sites, Degnan said. Brewster is planning to build a hiring shelter off Marvin Avenue in the spring.

The village of Mamaroneck voted this week to close its hiring site, arguing that it was shouldering the burden of hosting a gathering place for day laborers while neighboring municipalities did nothing.