KY Mayor: City won't be 'illegal' sanctuary
Mayor: City won't be 'illegal' sanctuary
By Brent Schanding/Sentinel-News Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:14 AM EDT
City officials said Thursday they would abandon a plan that would vest local law enforcement agents with greater powers to detain and deport illegal immigrants.
The plan -- known formally as the 287(g) program, a reference to federal immigration codes -- was initially considered as a "get-tough" strategy to deal with the perceived problems of illegal immigration.
But the shucking of the plan isn't necessarily a sign that city leaders are bowing to illegal immigrants, said Shelbyville Mayor Tom Hardesty.
"If illegal immigration is an illegal act, we're not going to support it. This is not a sanctuary city, and as long as I'm mayor, I'm not going to let it become one," Hardesty said. "If I was an illegal alien living in Shelby County I'd be really nervous living here."
That's because crackdowns on crime committed by illegal-immigrants are sending a loud message that such activity won't be tolerated, Hardesty said.
While arrest figures of illegal immigrants aren't tracked locally, about 25 to 30 detainees at the Shelby County Jail lack legal citizenship documentation, at any given time, according to estimates from both city and jail officials. With assistance from federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents, those detainees are temporarily transferred to a larger facility in Grayson County, Ky., before heading to Chicago. There, most will ultimately appear before a federal judge on immigration charges and those found guilty of violations are supposed to be deported.
It's unclear how many illegal immigrants from Shelby County have actually been deported through this process because data isn't collected specifically for this area, said Gail Montenegro, a Chicago spokeswoman for ICE.
Montenegro reported about 6,000 immigrants were deported last fiscal year in a six-state region that includes Kentucky. However, she could not determine how many illegal immigrants re-entered the country after deportation.
About ICE
ICE agents are federally-funded officers, who investigate immigration statuses and other claims. They largely work with jail officials to deport undocumented immigrants, something local and state law enforcement agencies aren't able to do under federal law. Formed in 2003 under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE was initially created to combat terrorism attacks. Since its inception, however, it's been more actively involved in the enforcement of illegal immigration, most notably that of Hispanics who enter the country without proper documentation.
Currently, at least one ICE agent has been assigned to investigate illegal immigrants in a broad area that includes Shelbyville, Louisville and most of eastern Kentucky. An additional ICE agent -- who would likely assist with Shelbyville investigations -- could be in training, according to reports from city officials. But Montenegro couldn't confirm the reports.
"Because of security reasons after 9/11, we can't say how many agents are assigned to anyone area," she said.
Last week, city leaders agreed to dismiss a plan that would vest local officers with ICE powers, following a recommendation by police Chief Bob Schutte.
In a memo to the mayor, Schutte yielded authority to federal agents, saying that any additional back-up would be redundant and costly.
"...(ICE) Agents are tasked with the responsibility of detaining and removing illegal aliens who committed crimes, any crimes, and are in custody," Schutte wrote. "They are looking to detain and remove as many illegal aliens as they can...Local law enforcement's participation would be redundant."
Among other points in his memo, Schutte wrote immigration and customs enforcement training for local officers would require a great investment of time and manpower, which could "significantly impact the resources of our department." That could mean weakened police patrols or a number of other things.
Based on information he's received from ICE representatives, including personal conversations with city, county and federal officials, Schutte said the plan offers no new benefits to the community.
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