Jenkins’ first bill keeps immigration theme
Originally published February 19, 2010, 5:17 PM
By Meg Tully
News-Post Staff



ANNAPOLIS — Newly sworn-in Delegate Charles Jenkins has brought one of his top issues from Winchester Hall to the Maryland State House.

Jenkins, a Republican, introduced his first piece of legislation this week, tackling illegal immigration.

He introduced a bill that would require state corrections institutions to submit reports to the U.S. Customs and Enforcement Agency on the immigration status of inmates.

The state Division of Correction already reports when an inmate is suspected to be from a foreign country — under the bill, any information collected about immigration status would also be forwarded.

The proposal would be somewhat similar to the policy implemented locally by Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, where deputies, working with ICE, check the status of everyone in the local jail. It has resulted in more than 500 people being referred to ICE based on their immigration status.

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