Thread: Sheriff wants to join immigration effort

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Article published Apr 28, 2007
NEWS - RECORD
GREENSBORO, NC
Sheriff wants to join immigration effort

By Eric J.S. Townsend
Staff Writer


Sheriff BJ Barnes wants to join a federal program that would allow his deputies to confirm within minutes the immigration status of foreigners under arrest.


Making official what Barnes has considered for a year, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office this month asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for access to a national fingerprint database of immigrants.


And if that access is granted, Barnes also wants his deputies to detain illegal immigrants who witness a crime.


The sheriff's office is filling out paperwork for the federal agency, including a survey returned last week to officials in charge of the program. No decision has been made on allowing Guilford County participation.


The initiative, however, is not without criticism.


Local immigrant advocacy groups argue that witnesses and victims who could assist police may not come forward if they fear punishment and deportation.


Barnes refutes this, arguing that those same immigrants already avoid law enforcement.


"They're not coming forward for that very reason," he said. "We have no tools to deal with them. We find an illegal right now, 'OK, have a nice day.'"


In at least "four or five" killings during the past few years, Barnes said, witnesses disappeared after giving statements to county law enforcement. By detaining witnesses who would otherwise vanish, investigators will be able to better solve their cases, Barnes said.


"The problem we have is that we're going to be a safe haven (for illegal immigrants) if we're the only one around that doesn't have it," Barnes said of the federal program.


Three counties in North Carolina have already signed on to the program supervised by the U.S. immigration agency: Alamance, Mecklenburg and Gaston counties . A fourth department is readying to participate and 10 other agencies — including Guilford — have made formal requests.


"The community may not necessarily feel as open to talking, reporting crime, and that's unfortunate. There's no other way to look at it," said Nolo Martinez with the UNCG Center for New North Carolinians . "We can't solve the problem of solving illegal immigration by having the solution just in the hands of a sheriff and law enforcement."


Instead, Martinez said, enforcement should go together with a political solution to deal with illegal immigrants who hold jobs and stay clear of trouble with the law.


Greensboro police Chief Tim Bellamy said he has no plans to apply for the program, though he agrees with Barnes that it is difficult to get cooperation from immigrants.


"You already have a problem with persons not trusting the police, in terms of immigrants to the United States, whether Hispanic or whatever," Bellamy said. "In many countries police and law enforcement are viewed as oppressive people."





Contact Eric J.S. Townsend at 373-7008 or etownsend@news-record.com


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chairman wrote:

Greensboro police Chief Tim Bellamy said he has no plans to apply for the program, though he agrees with Barnes that it is difficult to get cooperation from immigrants.

Duh, do you think??? Maybe because they have reason to believe they are in the driver's seat thanks to our Congress and President!




So happy to have you and thanks for the article, chairman

Oliver