Dole: 287(g) not the only way
Submitted by shwineka on February 1, 2008 - 5:15pm.



U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole says every sheriff could have access to immigration information without using the 287(g) program.

Speaking in Raleigh today, the Salisbury Republican said that she does not see the need for every county in North Carolina to sign up for a pilot program to allow them to look up immigration records.

Under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, local law enforcement agencies can be granted authority to handle immigration. Republican gubernatorial candidates Fred Smith and Bill Graham have called for every sheriff to join the program.

Seven counties, including Gaston, Alamance and Mecklenburg, are already using it. But Dole said that granting every sheriff those powers would be overkill since they can get access to that same information through regional programs.

"We need to audit the whole state for what works best in the west, what works best in the east," she told Dome. "287(g) is not something you can have in every county."

A steering comittee of federal and local officers, mostly sheriffs, evaluates each part of the state and decides which of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's programs will work best for that area. Dole sends a staffer to each meeting.

"There's certain tools that will be much more effective in certain areas," she said. "It's just not one-size-fits-all."

Update: Dole's staff clarified that she wants any sheriff to have the opportunity to join the program or access ICE databases through some other means.

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