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(AP) LONGMONT, Colo. These days, with discussion about immigration and integration making local, state and national headlines, one question keeps coming up: If so many people are breaking immigration laws, why don't police officers arrest them?

The answer is a simple combination of two factors: a lack of resources and a system that is not set up for local agencies to enforce a federal law.

"The federal government at this point is not interested in status offenders," said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. "That's clearly the message we get time and time again."

That means an illegal immigrant who otherwise follows the law and stays out of trouble faces almost no chance of being forcibly deported. And even those who make minor missteps, such as shoplifting or driving without insurance, likely won't be sent home.

It is only when illegal immigrants are convicted of a felony that federal officials take an interest in making sure they are deported. And even then, the crime usually has to be either violent, sex-based or against children, officials said.

"It is normally serious offenders, violent offenders, drug offenders," Pelle said. "There is very little interest in things like DUIs and theft."

Adds Weld County Sheriff John Cooke: "Once an illegal immigrant makes it to Colorado, we can't take any action against them unless they commit a crime."

When criminals are arrested in Colorado, they are asked their place of birth, which helps police officers and deputies accurately identify suspects.

Each week, county jails send a list of every foreign-born person in custody to the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Included in that report is the reason an alien was jailed.

From the county perspective, the process, which is called an ICE hold, is a paperwork formality. During the hold, arrestees remain in jail serving their sentence, like any other inmate.

After the sentence is complete, it's up to ICE officials to decide whether someone on a hold is dangerous enough for the federal government to begin deportation proceedings, Pelle and Cooke said.

If that's not the case, the alien is simply released from jail back into the community.

According to Cooke, the ICE holding facility in Denver has about 300 beds, so federal agents have to be selective about who they choose to deport, given the lack of resources.

That means offenders who have committed crimes deemed not serious enough for deportation remain in Colorado, Cooke said. He estimated that illegal immigrants cost Weld County taxpayers about $2 million annually to house and feed.

Estimates of how many illegal immigrants are in jails are hard to come by.

Cooke said the jail population of foreign-born people can be as high as 25 percent, but he didn't know how many of those are illegal immigrants and how many have permission to live and work in the country.

A recent assessment by Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck estimated the number of illegal immigrants in the Weld County Jail from June 1 to Nov. 11 at 7 percent. That number is based on calculating how many people were in jail on ICE holds on one particular day, then extrapolating backward for the overall jail population -- although an ICE hold doesn't necessarily mean someone is an illegal immigrant, and not every illegal immigrant is placed on an ICE hold for review.

Boulder County doesn't track how many of its inmates are illegal immigrants. Instead, it tells ICE about every foreign-born person in the jail and lets federal agents try to sort things out.

Last Tuesday, the Boulder County Jail was home to 76 foreign-born people out of a total inmate population of 454. Most were from Mexico, but other reported nationalities were from places as disparate as Holland, South Africa, Mali and Mongolia.

Pelle said local police officers and deputies don't focus on immigration violation as a crime because the federal government controls border policy.

There are no state or local laws that address immigration, he said, rendering local law enforcement largely unable to do anything even if there was widespread community support.

"I can't detain anyone. I can't deport anyone. I don't have access to federal courts. The best I can do is hold onto someone for a short time and turn them over to the federal government," Pelle said. "And the federal government has little or no interest in that unless they have committed a serious crime. And, in that case, we have them anyway.

"They say it's illegal. Yes, it is. So is transportation of alcohol across state lines without a tax license," Pelle continued. "And we don't enforce that law. There are things that we are not empowered to enforce."

Pelle added that having local police or deputies enforce immigration laws would mean illegal immigrants might fear calling 911 when they need help. That's not the kind of place Boulder County is, Pelle said.

"My job is to keep, first and foremost, people from getting hurt," Pelle said. "Those folks are here in our community and need to have some level of confidence in local government to provide basic public safety. A wife shouldn't be afraid to call police during a domestic-violence assault because of her immigration status."

Earlier this week, President George Bush outlined a plan for strengthening border security, reforming immigration laws and offering some sort of guest-worker program to illegal immigrants who are living in the country.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, federal immigration agents have primarily targeted illegal immigrants working at jobs on military bases and other "critical infrastructure" sites.

In a Nov. 29 speech on the Texas-Mexico border, Bush said the U.S. must enforce immigration laws even away from the border. Federal statistics say there are about 8.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States. An estimate by the consulting firm Bear Stearns puts the number closer to 20 million.

"The third aspect of our comprehensive strategy to do our duty and enforce the border is to have a worksite enforcement program. I mean, our employers in America have an obligation not to hire illegal immigrants," Bush said. "We're also increasing the number of agents that will be working in the internal part of the country to find those who've broken the law and bring them to justice.

"Granting amnesty to the people who have come to our country illegally would invite others to come to our country illegally. On the other hand, a temporary-worker program would take pressure off our border," Bush said. "When you match willing worker with willing employer on a job Americans won't do, with a tamper-proof card that says, 'I'm here legally for a temporary basis,' it means our border patrol agents won't have to chase people coming here illegally to work. They'll be able to chase criminals and drug traffickers and crooks."

Cooke said his inability to enforce the federal law is one of the reasons he supports bringing an ICE office to Greeley. While it won't give him any more power, Cooke said, it would bring more resources to the area.

He said that would mean ICE agents could spend more time targeting employers who hire illegal immigrants. He said reducing the demand for illegal labor would lower the number of people who cross the country's borders illegally.

"You need to stop it at the border. You need to make sure they are not allowed in," Cooke said. "You need to go after the employers. I'd like to see ICE go after some of the employers ..."