Thread: NC: Chatham not involved with ICE program

Chatham not involved with ICE program

BY BETH VELLIQUETTE : The Herald-Sun
Jan 15, 2009

PITTSBORO -- Although the Chatham County Board of Commissioners and the county's Human Relations Commission approved a resolution of strong opposition to any of its law enforcement agencies contracting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Chatham County Sheriff Richard Webster said the issue is moot anyway.

The contract that some counties have entered into with ICE is called the 287(g) program. It authorizes ICE and local law enforcement agencies to enter into an agreement to provide local law enforcement officers with training so they could function under the supervision of sworn ICE officers.

Under the program, every person charged with a crime, whether it's for driving without a license or murder, is asked certain questions to determine if they are legally within the United States. If a person is determined to be an illegal alien, then the person would be held for deportation.

Webster said he's not been interested in the ICE program, and he couldn't get it even if he wanted to because Chatham County isn't big enough for it. Also, the county doesn't have enough room in its detention facilities to hold people for deportation, he said.

If the Chatham County Sheriff's Office arrests someone for a serious crime, its investigators still have access and resources to check the person's background through immigration authorities, Webster said.

"It's not something you use every day," he said.

The reason for the resolution passed by the commissioners is to support the current position of Chatham County's law enforcement agencies, Esther B. Coleman, director of the county's Office of Human Relations, said in a statement.

"The purpose of the resolution is to convey the beliefs of the Human Relations Commission and the Board of Commissioners that enforcement of ICE agreements can lead to such problems as violations of civil rights and liberties, distrust of law enforcement, the separation of family members and racial profiling," Coleman said.

While it is important to respect immigration laws, "ICE appears to have various problems, even if many of these are unintended consequences," Margie Ellison, chairwoman of county's Human Relations Commission, said in a statement.

"One of most tragic consequences is that the ICE detention process may separate family members, including abrupt separations of children from their parents," Ellison said.

The resolution notes that one of the stated purposes of ICE is to remove dangerous criminals from the streets, but a North Carolina legislative committee report from May 2007 produced data that showed the program veering from this intent. In the report, statistics from Gaston, Mecklenburg and Alamance counties indicated that the vast majority of ICE detentions were for minor offenses, mostly traffic violations, instead of felony charges.

William Gheen, president and spokesman for Americans for Legal Immigration based in Raleigh, said Chatham County officials will regret their decision to not enter into a 287(g) program.

"We expect they will rescind these policies after the unfortunate deaths that will follow this decision" because of an illegal immigrant who came into contact with police for a lesser infraction was not detained for deportation then, Gheen said.

Determining that someone is in illegal alien after being charged with a misdemeanor, such as driving without a license, is an indication that the person does not respect the laws of the United States, Gheen said.

"The only way a community can legally protect themselves is to have local police check their status when accused of illegal crimes," Gheen said.

http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/ ... 070713.cfm?

Tell him about our Sheriff Curran who applied. The sheriff had a press conference and announced half of our murders last year were by illegal aliens and 21% of his jail population were foreign nationals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBE__Od8rgM

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-132206-mark.html+curran

I will not shop or donate to their PTA THRIFT SHOP, no more. This shop makes millions did you know that. I asked about the income once. Then it goes into their schools Try not to stop or drive through this county, but ICE go check and E-Verify everyone working. BIG corporation in his back pocket? In Virginia the police drive thru apartment complexes parking to run tags. NC police, sheriff, AND STATE TROOPERS (EVEN IN SILER CITY) offices get busy, NOW.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-3922--0-0.html

There are a number of concerned citizens in Chatham who are trying to organize and present their concerns to the Board of Commissioners.

I have been interacting with them (as well as their antagonists) in their community forum located at http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php

Please go there and show your support for their efforts Lend them your advice and expertise.

Chatham County, North Carolina - Wikipedia, the free enclyclopedia

IMMIGRATION
Immigration issues have been another controversial topic in the county over the last few years. Many Hispanic workers have come to the county over the last few years, mainly to work in the county's large poultry industry. The poultry industry, centered around Siler City has done wonders for the county's economy and has been very helpful to Siler City's economy as well. Illegal immigration, though, has divided many residents, with native-born residents pointing out that illegals have destroyed Siler City's small town charm by forcing many elderly residents and businesses to leave town, and driving up crime rates, gang activity, and poverty rates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_Co ... h_Carolina

To see the figures on the marked demographic shift in this area, see:
http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=26

Here's the only reply I got from all the Chatham Country commissoners I wrote.

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the recent action of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in passing the resolution on not participating in the federal government’s ICE program. The resolution is not about illegality nor is it about condoning such.

The current procedure within the County is that anyone suspected of committing a serious crime is automatically checked for violations of the immigration laws by local law enforcement. This will not change. Law enforcement can and will turn over to ICE any undocumented resident they detain for serious crimes. This does include DWI’s. However, they will not undertake an intensified program to seek out undocumented immigrants. Among other factors, given the limited resources we have here in Chatham, such a program would overload the resources of local law enforcement and reduce their ability to protect you.

The resolution addresses an optional amendment to the federal Immigration and Naturalization Act known as 287(g). This amendment allows for local law enforcement agencies to voluntarily opt into a program, which calls for them taking the initiative to focus on the detention of those who commit serious crimes. We are already doing this in Chatham County. Of the 100 counties in North Ca rolina only 8 have agreed to participate in this program.

This optional 287 (g) program would delegate federal responsibilities to local law enforcement without providing any funding or training. It would require Chatham County to build a detention center designed specifically for ICE detainees with your taxpayer monies. If participation were required, taxpayers, such as yourself, would call this an unfair and unfunded federal mandate.

The other factors that contributed to my decision to approve the resolution is the concern of potential adverse effects such a policy would have on the immigrant community: including fear of reporting of crimes, illegal detentions including those of bona fide American citizens, increased incidents of racial profiling, separation of children who are citizens from their non-citizen parent(s). Fear of reporting crimes, in turn, reduces the ability of local law enforcement to protect you and your family from dangerous criminals and gang activity.
Regarding the fiscal impacts of separating families: Nationally, 3.1 million native-born, U.S.-citizen children have at least one undocumented parent. Frequently, the children of illegal immigrants as well as c hildren of legal immigrants who are detained by mistake are far less likely to have family members here to provide temporary or permanent care. This means that they then become a fiscal burden through foster care. If the parent is deported, they may not be able to leave the country with their parent(s). We do not have the funding or systems in place to address this problem. These children are also dealing with the potential for their parent(s) to be sent back home to another country, not just to a local detention facility where they could visit. And this can happen for a minor traffic violation.
If undocumented parents are deported, and their children remain in Chatham County, the children are placed in foster care at a substantial cost to the local community. According to Chatham County Social Services, the County’s share of foster care expenses for documented children left behind by detained or deported parents is $1,425/year - $1,902/year. This is 25% of the total cost, with the state and federal government paying the rest for each child, depending on age.
However, when undocumented parents are deported and an undocumented child enters foster care, the entire financial burden falls on the County. This means that Chatham County’s tab rises to $5,700 - $7,608 per year per child for housing alone. In addition to housing costs, undocumented children in foster care are not eligible for federal or state Medicaid, so the County would be responsible for all health costs incurred. (Note: None of these costs reflect childcare subsidies or clothing allowances either.)
Frankly, I see no benefit to our community from participating in this voluntary program, when we already accomplish the same goals without these extra county costs that further burden hard-pressed taxpayers like yourself during these difficult economic times.


Thanks again for expressing your concerns.


Sincerely,

Tom Vanderbeck
Chatham County Commissioner


Ane here is my reply to his reply:

Mr. Vanderbeck,

Thank you for replying to my letter. The problem is I find many mistakes in what you have said.

First one is "This optional 287 (g) program would delegate federal responsibilities to local law enforcement without providing any funding or training. It would require Chatham County to build a detention center designed specifically for ICE detainees with your taxpayer monies. If participation were required, taxpayers, such as yourself, would call this an unfair and unfunded federal mandate." This is not true. There is government funding for those who participate in the 287g program. As far as Chatham Country having to build a detention center designed for ICE that to is not true. We already have a detention center, it's called the jail.

Second: "Among other factors, given the limited resources we have here in Chatham, such a program would overload the resources of local law enforcement and reduce their ability to protect you." This is also untrue since the program would work hand in hand with what our law enforcement are already doing, enforcing the law. Those arrested or found breaking the law would be run through a background check at the time of their arrest or conviction. They wouldn't be going out of their way to "round up illegal immigrants".

Third: "The other factors that contributed to my decision to approve the resolution is the concern of potential adverse effects such a policy would have on the immigrant community: including fear of reporting of crimes, illegal detentions including those of bona fide American citizens, increased incidents of racial profiling, separation of children who are citizens from their non-citizen parent(s). Fear of reporting crimes, in turn, reduces the ability of local law enforcement to protect you and your family from dangerous criminals and gang activity." Come on now. let's be honest here. The only ones this would truly affect are those here illegally. Those who are here legally with proper documentation would not be affected. The bogus statements about it promoting racial profiling is a myth. Everyone who doesn't have proper identification would be run through the system. Not just one certain group. As far as the separation of children who are citizens from their "non-citizen" parents (read illegally here) is the same thing that happens to children who's parents have broken the law be it drug offenses or any other crime. Are you saying we shouldn't arrest them because it separates the children from parents" or it "breaks up families" I don't think so. Being here illegally is breaking the law and we should not look the other way just because they have chosen to come here illegally and start a family. Lastly only those who have broken the law would be afraid to contact the police, just as you don't have drug dealers calling the police or co-operating with the police when it comes to reporting or helping with other crimes. And be honest, how many illegal immigrants have come forward and help with gang investigations anyway?

Forth: The whole scenario as far as children left behind when their parents are deported is the most bogus of all. First where are your statistics as to what it's already costing us for them to be here? What's the cost of WIC and welfare for the mothers who are here illegally and decide it's ok to bring a child into such a situation. North Carolina has a large illegal population that has become complacent when it comes to the fact they are here illegally. The have lost the fear that they can come here without reprisal and expect to be left alone while we support them and either the children they bring with them or have while here. Programs like the 287g program while it is designed to make sure that those who are here illegally and break the law are turned over to ICE one must understand that being here illegally IS breaking the law. Those who are found to be driving without a license or caused and accident are just as guilty of breaking the law as those caught driving under the influence or dealing drugs. They aren't an innocent group. It seems to me you should spend more time talking to the people of this county that voted you into office than talking to groups such as La Raza or El Pueblo who's main agenda is to protect and make sure that those who are here illegally are allowed to stay without any consequences. In the long run the 287g program would do more good than harm for Chatham county and that includes in a fiscal way.

{mod edit}
Chapel Hill, NC (on the county line)

Way to go everyone

Ben,
Hope you don't mind but I reposted your entry on the Chatham County Community Forum, without your last name of course. It will be in good company there, as a number of others are sharing their canned replies as well. I hope you will go there and share your thoughts with those fine folks. The link appears in this thread above.

boxersbear great letter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Thank you so much for sharing that with us.