Sheriff Jenkins on Immigration Reform
Sheriff: Immigration detention
reform wouldn't change local program
Originally published October 11, 2009 Frederick News-Post
Photo by Staff file photo
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins:
Plans by federal immigration authorities to reform an expanding, multibillion-dollar detention system will probably not affect a local contract regarding the housing of immigration detainees, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said.
National plans include cutting costs, providing detention alternatives for nonviolent violators who are not a high flight risk, improving medical care and hiring more personnel to oversee facilities, among other initiatives announced last week by federal officials.
The local contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as an Inter-Governmental Service Agreement, started at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center in July 2007.
From its inception through 2008, about 1,850 immigration detainees have been housed under the agreement at the county jail. The jail has been reimbursed more than $2.5 million from the federal government for holding the detainees.
About 30 percent of those housed under the agreement are arrested by local law enforcement agencies, then have their immigration status checked as part of a separate program that allows trained sheriff's deputies to enforce federal immigration laws.
That program is known as a 287(g) agreement.
Jenkins said he hasn't seen concrete plans by federal authorities about new initiatives for detaining illegal immigrants.
"We run this thing the way it's supposed to be run, and haven't received any criticism from the Department of Homeland Security," he said.
Reformed system
The ICE budget for jailing detainees was about $2.6 billion in fiscal 2009, according to a review of ICE's detention system published Tuesday by Dora Schriro, former director of detention policy for the Department of Homeland Security.
In fiscal 2008, ICE detained 378,582 illegal immigrants, more than any other detention system in the nation, the report stated.
Currently, federal, state and local police hand over about 60 percent of the unauthorized immigrants ICE further detains through its Criminal Alien and 287(g) programs, the report stated.
In fiscal 2009, about 41 percent of the average daily Criminal Alien Program detainees, and 57 percent of the initial book-ins, did not have criminal convictions.
During the same time frame, about 53 percent of the average daily population of 287(g) detainees and 65 percent of initial book-ins did not have criminal convictions, the report stated.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton announced in a statement Tuesday that ICE will work to identify suitable candidates for alternative detention.
This process can reduce costs and speed up judgments in immigration cases, the press release stated.
Alternative facilities could include converted hotels, nursing homes and other residential facilities, the officials said.
Within six months, ICE will create a medical classification system to monitor immigration detainees' physical and mental condition while in detention, officials said.
Jenkins said people caught up in the 287(g) program have been arrested on suspicion of committing other crimes. He didn't think an alternative detention program should apply in Frederick County.
"I don't agree with it," he said.
He also said medical treatment at the jail for immigration detainees meets state and federal standards.
Ajmel Quereshi, an attorney for the ACLU of Maryland, said the proposed changes to detention policies are a step in the right direction.
But "until the DHS issues regulations creating legally binding standards, we're just not sure that changes are really going to occur," he said.
The ACLU would like to see shorter delays for suspected illegal immigrants as they wait for their cases to be heard by a judge, and an adequate medical standards and alternatives to detention for low-risk detainees, Quereshi said.
Another ongoing ICE initiative has been to prioritize the arrest, identification and removal of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes or major drug or sex offenses.
In July, Napolitano announced plans to standardize and create new memorandums of agreement for 287(g) participants that would reflect those priorities.
Jenkins said he has already signed a new agreement and sent it to ICE.
But the new agreement still does not create binding requirements or oversight methods to make sure local police are focusing immigration arrests on violent or dangerous offenders, Quereshi said.
There are still no requirements that localities prosecute those processed through the 287(g) for their original crimes before ICE picks them up, he said.
Moreover, the ACLU continues to be concerned about the possibility this situation may lead to racial profiling under the program.
Jenkins has repeatedly denied that Frederick County sheriff's deputies are using racial profiling.
"A lot of the MOA, in general terms, would clarify authority under the program," he said. "I don't think the changes will affect us."
Quereshi also said some of the data local agencies are supposed to collect on the program may be shielded from public scrutiny.
Other information about the program may have to be collected directly from ICE and available to the public only under federal regulations and laws, an ACLU study of the new agreements concluded.
Jenkins said he didn't think the previous agreement with ICE had allowed him to share some information with immigrant advocacy group CASA de Maryland, which sued him for access to the information.
The new agreement makes that clear, he said. "I think it's something we'll clean up."
posted by Steven R Berryman at 7:59 PM
2 Comments:
Sen.David Vitter offered an amendment to sever Federal funds to SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES, but as always they failed to observe the "Rule of Law." The vote went along party lines except for three Republicans who voted with the Democrats to table the amendment. One Democrat voted against the motion - Landrieu (LA). Even though we can throw the conspirators out, when they come up for re-election it will have little effect? Even though they lose their seats, they will be reimbursed by their corporate friends with nice civilian desk jobs, with bloated pay checks.
Only if we stand together and demand E-Verify program, our uniformed police right to question and detain people of unauthorized immigration status 287 G? Hopefully next year Americans will see through the greed, in the Senate and house and start by--REMOVING--Sen. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Both have millions of illegal aliens living off taxpayers in California and Nevada. GO and investigate their immigration grading and every lawmaker at NUMBERSUSA website. Vote them out? WE MUST HAVE E-VERIFY AS A MANDATED LAW, SEN. HARRY REID SOLD US OUT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AT 202-224-3121 and give them an ULTIMATUM. Businesses that hire the millions of illegal aliens are bleeding us dry, because we pay for the health care and education and for hundreds of thousands in the prisons. Your tax dollars are paying for warm cells and California has the largest proportion of any state. MAKE ENTERING AMERICA A CLASS ONE FELONY, LIKE OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. EVEN MEXICO YOU ARE DRAGGED INTO ONE OF THOSE REPUGNANT PRISONS.
The fact is uncomplicated that E-Verify WORKS! And it is up, running and operational, so that illegal foreign workers other than a few using counterfeit documents will be discovered and eliminated from the workplace. Th Special interest lobbyists want it dropped, because it has grown in popularity and more sincere Pro-American companies are using it? Another simple fact is that its—SUCCEEDING! It is now hurting the elusive Council of Foreign Relations agenda to destabilize American workers and substitute even more cut-rate even a government agency, but a Quasi agency that is a kind of sinister think tank. For years they have been formatting their power to undo the poorly built border fence, wreck inspections at airports, so millions more can pour into American and steal jobs. Nor does matter to the illicit ACLU, a communist inspired group or business consortium's, who owe no loyalty to US workers? It is a case of drowning America in low wage recruits, who are not just working in the fields, but janitors, fast food, factories, warehouses and higher paying jobs then citizens and legal employees realize?. AMERICAN WORKERS MUST MAKE A STAND. Anybody who legally displays the E-Verify sign should get the customers dollars, those who don't comply should be absolutely BOYCOTTED. I go to El Pollo Loco, but not to McDonalds-because I haven't seen the E-Verify sign yet? Same I only try to buy AMERICAN? But that is even becoming more indefinable, because many parts of products are imported in from cheap labor countries, killing our own manufacturing base. WE ARE SELF-INFLICTING OUR OWN WOUNDS?
The same with not training our own workers and instead imported significantly more labor from other lands by the millions each year. Thus we cheat our own industries. We can beat this, by electing politicians who sign a--CONTRACT-- stating American workers come first? Not those just affirming an oath of office, since to many it's meaningless. These contracts can be published and shown to the public and the national media. We are cutting our own throats in so many ways, because many bona-fide US Americans don't bother to vote the political corruption--OUT OF OFFICE. Most of the lawmakers are out for gain, not truly there to protect the American poor, not protecting our vulnerable senior's, not even really protecting our military, if they even come home? With the health care reform as a major issue, then research you’re local, state of federal lawmaker and locate their screened interests in pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, insurance, billing companies or anything that exudes money? They are just coveting their own interests? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE THE ULTIMATE POWER, TO STOP THIS TRAVESTY OF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS. Even our police departments are under attack by pro illegal immigrant politicians and open border crazies, which includes an old timer like Sheriff Joe Ariapo. He was following federal law called 287 G, to apprehend criminal aliens. But their all Criminals. They entered a sovereign nation without permission. Joe will thankfully carry on under state law and nothing will deter him? IT SHOULD BE MADE A FIRST CLASS FELONY AS IT IS IN DEVELOPED NATIONS.
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