Published: November 04, 2007 11:20 pm

Chambliss: We have to secure the border

Senator prefers more authority for local officials

Misty Watson
By Misty Watson

Local law enforcement officials need increased authority to deal with illegal immigrants, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss said in Dalton Sunday.

Sheriff’s deputies and police officers do not currently have the authority to arrest an individual suspected of being an illegal alien because people who are in the country illegally are violating federal laws, not state or local laws, said Chambliss, R-Ga., during a visit with the public at City Hall.

“If an illegal breaks a state law and they arrest them, then they have the power to turn them in to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, a federal agency),â€