Thread: Will Obama put ICE deal on ice?

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Will Obama put ICE deal on ice?

New administration leaves questions about the fate of Danbury's immigration partnership

By Marietta Homayonpour
Staff Writer
Updated: 12/13/2008 09:50:35 PM EST

DANBURY -- In the campaigns that led to the presidential election last month, the big word was "change."

Both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama -- the man who will be inaugurated as the country's president next month -- vowed to make changes in the economy, foreign policy and the way government is run.

Will those changes include ones to an immigration program -- commonly known as 287(g) -- that stirred strong controversy here?

Calls and an e-mail to President-elect Obama's transition team were not returned for comment.

But in Danbury, supporters of the program hope 287(g) will remain intact and fully funded. Detractors of the program hope the new administration takes a close look at it.

"We see some value in the program," Danbury Police Chief Al Baker said. "We hope they don't eliminate it."

The program is part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. It allows the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to partner with local enforcement groups, such as police departments and county jails, to train them to enforce immigration laws.

Danbury's application to be in the program was acknowledged in early spring by the ICE office in Washington, D.C., Baker said. But acknowledgment doesn't mean acceptance into the program.

"We have not heard a thing," Baker said about the application in an interview Tuesday.

Danbury resident and restaurant owner Wilson Hernandez, who was born in Ecuador and is an community activist for immigrants, hopes the Obama administration will put a hold on all pending 287(g) applications, including Danbury's.

"I'd like to see a moratorium on any application," Hernandez said, "until the new administration takes a close look at all its aspects."

More than just 287(g), Hernandez hopes the new administration will look at many of the actions ICE has taken in the past several years, including immigration raids and the treatment of illegal immigrants in detention centers.

"The federal government has to do what's right, not to violate the rights of any human being," he said.

The possible partnership between Danbury police and ICE was controversial from the time the program was first explored by the Common Council in fall 2007. Demonstrations were held outside City Hall. Opponents told the council the program was not needed here and would only create fear among immigrants and a "witch hunt" atmosphere.

Supporters of the program, however, said it was needed in a city with a growing population of illegal immigrants, especially since the federal government wasn't implementing immigrant reform. Early this year the Common Council overwhelmingly approved applying for the partnership.

With a new federal administration coming into office next month, however, Hernandez said states and cities should "put on the brakes until they see what is happening on the federal level" with immigration policies.

For Danbury in particular, he said, the city doesn't need any extra economic burden the program would bring, and "beyond that, is this (program) going to help the city, which was just declared the safest city in Connecticut?"

But a supporter of a Danbury partnership with ICE sees the situation very differently. Elise Marciano, head of United States Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement, hopes the city's 287(g) application will be accepted, but she isn't holding her breath.

"My understanding is that the Obama administration is cutting back on funding for all (immigration enforcement) programs," Marciano said, including raids on large companies that employ illegal immigrants and construction of fences at the U.S./Mexico border.

Marciano said a partnership between local enforcement agencies and ICE "makes sense." Enforcement could be done in "more orderly" fashion by local police, because they "know what's going on in their towns."

The 287(g) program is not new. It's been on the books since 1996. In 2006, however, it caught fire and, according to ICE's Web site, since January that year it "is credited for identifying more than 70,000 individuals, mostly in jails, who are suspected of being in the country illegally."

If a local enforcement agency is accepted for the program, ICE provides a four-week training program at its academy in Charleston, S.C. Baker said two detectives will likely be sent for training if the city is accepted.

When an enforcement agency and ICE become partners, they sign a Memorandum of Agreement. By the summer of this year, there were 63 active agreements in 20 states, mostly in the West and South, according to ICE.

A few of those partnerships are in the New England states -- three in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. There are presently none in Connecticut.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_11226184

Danbury resident and restaurant owner Wilson Hernandez, who was born in Ecuador and is an community activist for immigrants, hopes the Obama administration will put a hold on all pending 287(g) applications, including Danbury's.

"I'd like to see a moratorium on any application," Hernandez said, "until the new administration takes a close look at all its aspects."

More than just 287(g), Hernandez hopes the new administration will look at many of the actions ICE has taken in the past several years, including immigration raids and the treatment of illegal immigrants in detention centers.

ITIN number and has an opinion as a citizen who votes. Deport Wilson Hernandez for aiding and abetting.

Hi Jean,

In one or more of his speeches, President elect Barry Soetoro promised to open the Southern Border. That's what was said.
Now opening the border sounds like, no checkpoints on our side, just walk/drive/rail across.

Can he do this with an executive order and without congressional involvement?

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http://www.alipac.us/article3824.html

Originally Posted by Coto

Hi Jean,

In one or more of his speeches, President elect Barry Soetoro promised to open the Southern Border. That's what was said.
Now opening the border sounds like, no checkpoints on our side, just walk/drive/rail across.

Can he do this with an executive order and without congressional involvement?

This is one of the things so frightening about obama.

obama has never had any respect for how our government is supposed to be run and has spent his entire career working to, and alongside those who would, bring it down.

There will be NO government as intended in this country under an obama administration.

If Obama stops or hinders this very popular program, it will show that he has lurched far to the left of where the American people are on this issue, and we will not let voters forget this. We want our laws enforced, NOW.

So is the government ready to give every American free language classes.