Changes in 287(g) program could mean more consistency

News & Record (Greensboro, NC)
July 16, 2009 Thursday
News & Record Edition

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office enters the controversial 287(g) illegal immigration enforcement program at a crucial time. New rules create consistency, shift the emphasis to serious offenses and call on local agencies to address criminal charges before handing over suspects to federal authorities.

However, whether that placates critics - who claim 287(g) is a thinly veiled excuse to round up immigrants on minor offenses, check legal status and deport them - remains to be seen.

With the addition of Guilford and 10 others, the program expands to 77 policing agencies nationwide. Some have been criticized, including the Alamance County Sheriff's Office, for overzealousness.

The revisions announced last week stem from a Justice Department investigation which determined that abuses, in fact, had occurred. That has led to even more changes, including the establishment of a complaint process and the addition of interpreters.

Consistency is important in enforcing federal guidelines. It shouldn't matter if a suspected illegal immigrant is picked up in Arizona, North Carolina or Maine. Hopefully, the new approach will mean more local accountability in arrests and incarceration.

Resources also play a role. Unlike jurisdictions with ample jail space, Sheriff BJ Barnes deals with jam-packed county jails. Keeping suspects locked up for long periods until cases are heard could worsen the situation. His priority remains, as it should, protecting Guilford County residents, which means arresting criminals, no matter their immigration status.

Not to be lost in the debate is Congress' responsibility to formulate a coherent immigration policy, consider realistic routes to citizenship and adequately protect the nation's borders. But introducing more consistency into uneven local immigration enforcement is a promising improvement.

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