Misdemeanor arrests lead to deportation
By Ken Bonner
The Daily Sentinel

Published October 9, 2007

The Scottsboro Police Department has recently turned two illegal aliens over for deportation by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, according to Scottsboro Police Chief Ralph Dawe. Both were originally arrested on misdemeanor charges.

Miguel Andres was charged with public intoxication on Saturday, Sept. 29. He was turned over to ICE on Oct. 5.

Juan Antonio Ramirez Mateo was charged with giving a false name to law enforcement officers on Sept. 21. He was released to ICE on Oct. 1.

Many immigrants don't have proper identification when they are stopped on traffic violations or taken into custody on a criminal offense. Others provide bogus information, according to Dawe.

"We are working with federal officials to try to get it under control," Dawe said. His department regularly checks the ICE database on case it believes an illegal alien may be involved.

"We are deeply concerned there are people we cannot identify," Dawe said. "It's (identifying illegal aliens) a law enforcement nightmare."

The department faxes information on a suspect or arrestee to ICE. The federal department, which is part of the federal government's homeland security effort, runs the information through their database, corresponds with the arrestee over the phone in an attempt to match vital information and determines whether or not the local department should hold the person as an illegal alien.

The Scottsboro Police Department is working with ICE and other federal agencies to form a national database of information on suspected illegal aliens.
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