http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006 ... 006/209335

What's a 'border town' these days? Immigrants are everywhere
August 1, 2006 4:40 am

WASHINGTON--It took a brutal attack on a construc- tion company owner, but local police in Warren County, Ohio, finally woke up to a grim truth about the illegal immigration problem: Every town is now a border town.

On July 15, James Parsons Jr. was beaten with a baseball bat in retaliation for the firing of a suspected illegal alien. Parsons' offense? He had asked the worker to produce papers proving he was legally eligible to work in the United States, and then dismissed the worker when he failed to produce them. The disgruntled man and eight accomplices later returned with three handguns and several baseball bats to take their revenge.

While it is true that the majority of illegals flood across the U.S. southern border with Mexico, it is becoming increasingly obvious that many do not stay in the Southwest. They migrate to points all across the United States, bringing with them significant social problems, including violent crime. In other words, what begins as a federal issue--border security--quickly becomes a local one. And how are our local law enforcement agencies responding?

Some have chosen to aggravate the problem by instituting so-called "sanctuary policies" that prevent local police officers from inquiring about an individual's immigration status or cooperating with federal immigration officials. They claim illegal immigration is a federal problem, and that they do not have the authority or resources to enforce immigration laws.

However, as Judicial Watch recently learned from newly released government documents, both of these claims are patently false.

According to records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act "authorized the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into a written agreement to delegate the authority of enforcing federal immigration laws to a state or political sub-division of a state." Moreover, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, local law enforcement officers can receive immigration enforcement training--called 287(g) cross-designation training. The cost for the five-week program is a very reasonable $520 per officer.

Now for the important question: Does the program work?

As of June 2006, 136 officers received 287(g) training from four states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and Florida. These officers have accounted for 820 immigration-related arrests since the program began in 2002. And while many of the arrests relate to fraudulent documents, others involve rape, drug possession, firearm possession, driving under the influence, and burglary.

There is no question the federal government has a responsibility to secure our nation's borders. And there is no question the federal government must do a better job of it. But when the system breaks down, local law enforcement officers cannot abandon their sworn duty to "protect and serve" the American people. As these documents show, local communities that sincerely want to enforce immigration laws can do so legally and cost-effectively.



TOM FITTON is president of Judicial Watch, a nonpartisan educational foundation that fights government corruption.