Thread: Immigration training considered in North Carolina

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs. ... 13086/1149

Immigration training considered
by Ellyn Ferguson, EFERGUSO@GNS.GANNETT.COM, and, Dale Neal, DNEAL@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
published July 14, 2006 12:15 am
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Eight Western North Carolina counties are exploring the idea of working with federal immigration agents to identify, process and in some cases detain illegal immigrants, Rep. Charles Taylor said Thursday.

Taylor said law enforcement officials in Henderson, Buncombe, Polk, Rutherford, Madison, McDowell, Transylvania and Yancey counties have met with agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

The agencies have been talking about a federal program that provides specialized immigration training for local law enforcement officers.

Taylor said in a statement that eventually all 15 counties in his 11th Congressional District plan to be part of the training program.

The statement did not address program costs, funding for local law enforcement, whether immigration enforcement might pull from local police work in other areas and how extensively local law enforcement might be used in enforcing immigration laws.

Taylor spokeswoman Deborah Potter said Thursday evening that the congressman was traveling and could not be reached.

Jamie Zuieback, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington, D.C., said there have been preliminary discussions with Taylor and local law agencies but that no agreement has been signed.

The agency would train officers in immigration and civil rights laws.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Arizona Department of Corrections already have agreements with the agency, Zuieback said.

Local officers who receive the training are not empowered to conduct immigration sweeps or raids, Zuiback said.

Transylvania County Sheriff Geoffrey Shepherd said he worried about funding for local law enforcement.

“We’re a small agency and if we have to send someone off for three and half weeks of training, that’s very costly,” he said.

New equipment might also be needed. For example, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program uses full-hand prints instead of individual fingerprints, Shepherd said.

“We might be looking at $25,000 to $30,000 to buy another print machine,” he said.

Contact Dale Neal at 828-232-5970 or via e-mail at dneal@ashevill.gannett.com.

“We might be looking at $25,000 to $30,000 to buy another print machine,” he said.

Hey, let the illegals pay for it. All you have to do is confiscate assets when possible. For example, an illegal driving without a legal drivers license or vehicle insurance - take the car, an illegal family living in their own home - confiscate it and deport them, an illegal running a drug operation - confiscate everything he/she owns. I think you get the point. Follow my advise and you'll have that new print machine in no time.

Originally Posted by MW

“We might be looking at $25,000 to $30,000 to buy another print machine,” he said.

Hey, let the illegals pay for it. All you have to do is confiscate assets when possible. For example, an illegal driving without a legal drivers license or vehicle insurance - take the car, an illegal family living in their own home - confiscate it and deport them, an illegal running a drug operation - confiscate everything he/she owns. I think you get the point. Follow my advise and you'll have that new print machine in no time.

MW,

Great ideas! Confiscate their assets! These illegals need to pay and pay and pay to reimburse what they have robbed from American taxpayers with their anchor babies, welfare costs, incacerations and other abuses of our welfare and infrastructures. And, Vicente Fox needs to receive a bill in the billions. Not only this, but I'd like to see all foreign aid by the US to Mexico cut off right now. Ditto for many other countries that take advantage. Which politicians will listen to us?

Annie