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(The following is from a Chattanooga Times Free Press story dated Sunday, August 12, 2007, by staff writer Dick Cook ...)
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Some local police and sheriff's departments are interested in having officers get training through the federal government that would allow them to enforce some immigration laws, officials said. Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble asked for two new detectives in next year's budget who would receive training through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act permits trained local officers to access databases that could help them determine if a person who is under arrest for breaking state law is in this country illegally, officials said. "This is something I feel like we are lacking in and it could help us address some of the immigration issues we are starting to see come into our area," Sheriff Gobble said. "I would be willing to send people to the training and be part of it if we could get them in it and we had the manpower to do it." Enforcing immigration laws has been left largely to federal law enforcement agencies, officials said. In 1996, Section 287(g) allowed local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with ICE and enroll their officers in a five -week training course. Once it's determined that a person is in the country illegally, corrections officers could begin paperwork to have them deported, said Richard Rocha, an ICE spokesman.
"There has been an increased in interest in the program," Mr. Rocha said. "A lot of local agencies are looking for ways to cooperate with ICE and use this unique authority."
Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood said he applied to send eight corrections officers to the ICE training program several months ago. Sheriff Chitwood said that effort "is on hold."
"We got a phone call last week and we were told that (ICE) had run out of training funds this year," Sheriff Chitwood said. "There is no additional funding until October. They said they would put somebody in touch with us after that."
Mr. Rocha said there are 60 agencies with pending requests for the program, which will get $25.3 million in fiscal year 2008.
"We're meeting with offices individually to determine the best approach to tackle the challenges in their area," he said. "We want to determine if 278(g) is appropriate or if there is another program."
"The key message to get out is that 278(g) is just one of the tools in the tool box," Mr. Rocha said.
Local law enforcement officials said there aren't enough ICE agents to deal with the tide of illegal immigrants.
ICE officials would not give details about manpower in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, but from the perspective of immigration officials, 287(g) would act as "a force multiplier," Mr. Rocha said.
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