Federal Agency to Visit Rogers

By Lori Harrison-Stone
THE MORNING NEWS
Originally published March 14, 2007 7:09 PM CDT in News/Republished Mar 17, 2007 THE MORNING NEWS

ROGERS -- The unit chief for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will visit Rogers next week, although the agency has yet to notify the city of its decision on the 287(g) program.

Mayor Steve Womack applied in November to the federal program that trains and certifies local law enforcement officers to act in specified capacities as immigration officers.

Jesus R. Ramos, unit chief for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of Homeland Security, is expected to meet with Womack and visit the Rogers Police Department. Mike Gilhooly, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Ramos was in the field and unable to be contacted Wednesday. Gilhooly wasn't sure if other representatives of the agency will be included in the Rogers visit, but confirmed the trip is planned, calling it a "routine site visit."

Womack considers the upcoming visit a favorable sign about his pending application to the program, but he hadn't yet received an official response on Wednesday.

"I think they'll find our intentions quite noble," he said.

The issue isn't about prejudice, but about addressing the problems that come with illegal immigration, Womack said. He announced a plan to deal with illegal immigration soon after a Rogers police officer was shot in October while pursuing a search warrant at the home of illegal immigrants involved in a narcotics sting operation. If the 287(g) program is approved for Rogers, Womack hopes it will send a message to illegal immigrants and they won't want to move into the community.

If there wasn't a need to deal with illegal immigrants, the city and other government agencies could do more to help legal immigrants become acclimated to their new home, he said.

Police Chief Steve Helms isn't sure how the 287(g) program will work in Rogers because each law enforcement agency in the program has it's own agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that specifies the agency's authority. But Helms is already thinking about what kind of officer might be best to train in the program.

Those officers are likely to come from a variety of divisions within the department, Helms said. Which divisions will benefit from an officer trained in the program will depend on the city's agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he noted.

If the city is accepted, he plans to choose experienced officers with a strong potential for longevity with the department and an interest in the program. Womack has said he would push for at least six officers to train through the program.

"The main thing is that the people we come in contact with, we'll have the ability to confirm their identity," Helms said.

The program includes an automated identification system that takes digital images of fingerprints that will provide immediate information on immigration status and any contact that individual has had with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

AT A GLANCE

Immigration and 287(g)

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions after training. The local officers then function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

SOURCE: www.ice.gov/partners

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... visits.txt

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