I-Team: ICE Agent Resigns After Possible Conflict
Deputy Worked At Company With Illegal Immigrants
Reported By Demetria Kalodimos

POSTED: 12:45 pm CDT October 12, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Channel 4 I-Team for months has been monitoring undercover the screening of illegal immigrants in Nashville.

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Channel 4 found that a sheriff's deputy who is in charge of screening accused criminals for citizenship may have been working a second job for years, side-by-side with illegal immigrants.

For two full years, 15 specially trained sheriff's deputies have been checking the immigration status of every person booked into the Metro jail. The deputies are called ICE agents because they work in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"We had over 200 people apply out of our 900 employees. We had a very high percentage of our staff wanting these jobs," said Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall.

It's an assignment with steady, indoor hours, but one of those hand-picked for ICE no longer has his position.

Joe Savarino was working a second job at his uncle's custom stone shop when Channel 4 met him. Right before Christmas, he gave Channel 4 an estimate for a new granite countertop. He also gave Channel 4 his Italia Granite business card.

While Hall said there's nothing wrong with working a second job, Savarino claimed he went to Italia Granite just to sip espresso.

"He has expressed literally that he stops by there to drink coffee and to help translate," said Hall. "Once he went to ICE, he claims to us, he no longer worked there but went and helped his uncle at the place."

The I-Team has confirmed that Savarino did not quit the family business when he signed on with ICE.

Several of the people he supervised by day could have been some of the same people he was booking by night. The I-Team has documented that at least two workers Savarino supervised at Italia Granite are illegal immigrants.

Both of the immigrants were convicted for driving without a license. One was convicted of DUI and found to be in the country illegally, taken into federal custody and scheduled for an immigration hearing.

But someone paid his bond, and a full year later, he was still delivering stone at Italia Granite.

"My biggest concern was Mr. Savarino doing anything with his information here to assist his uncle? Is he using equipment or information to assist the individuals who work there?" said Hall.

Last week, just 48 hours after Channel 4 showed its undercover video to the sheriff, Savarino, who had been considered a top employee, resigned his ICE position.

The Office of Inspector General of the United States is now looking into the case, and Hall, who has taken his lumps for the large numbers deported for petty crimes, said not to judge the entire program by this one incident.

"I don't want the program to be tarnished by his actions," said Hall. "(The program) 287 G is all about holding people accountable for being in the country illegally. We should hold our employees accountable for being honest. We don't want people working here we can't trust.

There's been no formal conclusion from the feds in writing on this case. But the sheriff's office said it's been told that the Inspector General may consider the Savarino conflict an isolated case.

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