Immigraton Crackdown: Interior Immigration Enforcement: Programs Targeting Criminal Aliens

The Congressional Research Service report on Department of Homeland Security deportation programs ostensibly aimed at criminals. 

Congressional Research Service: "DHS operates four programs designed in whole or in part to target criminal aliens:

1. the Criminal Alien Program (CAP), 
2. Secure Communities, 
3. the § 287(g) program, and the 
4. National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP). 

The CAP, Secure Communities, and certain § 287(g) programs are jail enforcement programs that screen individuals for immigration-related violations as they are being booked into jail and while they are incarcerated; the NFOP and some other § 287(g) programs are task force programs that target at-large criminal aliens. This report describes how these programs work and identifies their common features and key differences among them." read more

Immigration Crackdown - Tennessee: Fewer deportations put 287(g) immigration program at risk

As always, money speaks.

Fewer deportations put 287(g) immigration program at risk | The Tennessean | tennessean.com: "The number of immigrants detained in Nashville’s deportation program has been nearly halved. Federal dollars earned by the program have been cut by almost two-thirds.

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, whose 287(g) immigration program has been the subject of years of complaints, said its days are numbered if the declines continue.

“If we continue to trend this way… clearly our resources in the Sheriff’s Office could be better used in areas like mental health,”"

Immigration Politics: Obama Is Our "Frenemy"—An Open Letter to Latinos

Obama Is Our "Frenemy"—An Open Letter to Latinos: "Failure to bring the Obama administration to some reasonable, concrete relief for DREAMers, or around cooperation agreements between local police and federal immigration authorities, like 287(g) and Secure Communities, will bring the bar of immigrant and Latino respect to even more dangerous lows.

Democratic and Republican politicians and their allies will see that they can get away with continued repression without paying a political price. Such perception will, I fear, result in even more unprecedented terror and devastation of a community perceived to know no lower limits to its self-disrespect when its says "Sí Se Puede" in support of the administration that is breaking records as the most violent and repressive in the history of the immigrant United States."

Immigration Crackdown: Report: U.S. Immigration Enforcement Program Leading to Deportation of Low Level Offenders

Here is a more detailed look at the report issued this week by the Migration Policy Institute on the 287(g) program. It outlines how the program is implemented in three different ways and that local officials, not federal ones, decided which way to implement it. It is used in some jurisdictions, mostly in the southeast U.S., as a broad dragnet to find all undocumented immigrants, or it is used to target those with significant criminal records, which is the federal government's expressed goal. The feds (Immigraton and Customs Enforcement, ICE) let the local police decide which way they use their deputy powers. 

Report: U.S. Immigration Enforcement Program Leading to Deportation of Low Level Offenders | Feet in 2 Worlds: "A federal program that is supposed to target serious criminals often leads to the deportation of low level offenders, according to a report issued by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) this week.

The 287(g) program lets local and state officers detain immigrants who are arrested for non-immigration offenses and transfer them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the agency’s web site, “ICE has 287(g) agreements with 71 law enforcement agencies in 25 states.”

The authors of the report discovered that despite public statements by the Obama administration that the program is primarily targeted at identifying and removing people the federal government has identified as its top enforcement priorities – those who represent security threats, have committed serious crimes, or have accumulated multiple immigration violations – about half of 287(g) activity involves mainly undocumented immigrants arrested for misdemeanors or traffic offenses."

Immigration Crackdown: Illegal immigration enforcement program takes heavy toll on Hispanic populations

Illegal immigration enforcement program takes heavy toll on Hispanic populations: "A controversial program that deputizes local police officers to enforce immigration laws sent the Hispanic population plummeting in many places across the country, including Prince William and Frederick counties, according to a new report released Monday by the Migration Policy Institute. ...

The study by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute focused on seven places - including Prince William and Frederick - that have adopted the federal 287 (g) program ...

Although ICE has said it prioritizes the deportation of people with serious criminal backgrounds, some of the jurisdictions participating in the program seek to remove as many undocumented immigrants as possible, regardless of criminal background, the study found." Washington Post

Immigration Madness: Over 30 arrested so far during Sheriff' Joe Arpaio's 18th illegal immigration sweep

Over 30 arrested so far during sheriff's 18th illegal immigration sweep - azfamily.com | Phoenix News: "A total of 31 people have been arrested by sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies as of Thursday night during their 18th crime suppression sweep. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says they made 13 arrests earlier in the day and nine more in the evening.

Of those taken into custody one person had an outstanding felony warrant. Seven individuals were arrested for alleged human smuggling and one person was taken into custody by Immigration Customs Enforcement.

This is Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his posse members’ 18th crime suppression sweep that many feel target illegal immigrants. This is, however, the first sweep conducted by deputies that includes a newly-formed Illegal Immigration Enforcement Posse, a group of armed volunteers that were trained to report illegal activity."

Immigration Crackdown - Virginia: Illegal Immigration Still on Governor’s List of Priorities for 2011

Illegal Immigration Still on Governor’s List of Priorities for 2011 - Oakton, VA Patch: "Gov. Bob McDonnell said he wants local law enforcement agents trained under a federal program that deputizes them to act as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to investigate criminal acts related to illegal immigration.

'Compared to some other states, Virginia has some pretty tough laws for illegal immigration,' McDonnell (R) said in an interview with Patch editors.

The federal program is called 287(g), and it calls for local law enforcement to operate with ICE under a memorandum of agreement. Currently, the Herndon, Loudoun, Manassas and Prince William County police departments have adopted such a memorandums of agreement." Jan. 11, 2011

Immigration politics: President Obama's push for reform appears dead

The LA Times writes an obituary for immigration reform and lays out the coming Republican objectives to increase the immigration crackdown.

Immigration overhaul: President Obama's push for reform appears dead - latimes.com: "When New York Republican Peter T. King takes over the House Homeland Security Committee in January, he plans to propose legislation to reverse what he calls an 'obvious lack of urgency' by the Obama administration to secure the border.

Among other initiatives, King wants to see the Homeland Security Department expand a program that enlists the help of local police departments in arresting suspected illegal immigrants. (AMB editor's note: There are two such programs. Secure Communities transfers fingerprints of arrestees - that are already sent from local police, via their state police, to the FBI - from the FBI (in the Justice Department) to the Homeland Security Department to identify possible undocumented immigrants. The 287 program enables local police to become deputies of  Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE), part of the Homeland Security Department, and detain suspected undocumented immigrants for ICE.)

Texas Republican Lamar Smith, who will have oversight over deportations and arrests when he takes the gavel as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was an author of 1996 legislation increasing penalties against illegal immigrants.

Called the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and signed into law by President Clinton, the bill limited the discretion of U.S. immigration judges and increased the time that immigrants could be detained while awaiting a hearing.

As his first order of business, Smith plans to hold hearings about workplace enforcement and expanding the employee identification program, E-Verify, which is set to expire in 2012." Dec. 27, 2010

Immigration Crackdown: Escondido (CA) back in illegal immigration spotlight

So why does Arizona need its own law? All it needs to do is welcome Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into its police stations.

Escondido back in illegal immigration spotlight - SignOnSanDiego.com: "A special arrangement between federal agents and Escondido law enforcement has thrust the increasingly Latino city back into the illegal-immigration spotlight.

Police Chief Jim Maher calls the full-time placement of three Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at police headquarters an important crime-fighting tool. He said the goal is to make Escondido as unfriendly as possible to illegal border crossers who have criminal records, including previous deportations." Oct. 31, 2010, San Diego Union-Tribune

Immigration Crackdown: Flaws persist in immigration enforcement program

Another job well done (by the Inspector General, that is).

Flaws persist in immigration enforcement program: "The Homeland Security Department's internal watchdog is unable to verify federal money for an immigration enforcement program was spent as Congress intended, according to a report issued Friday.

The department's inspector general said Congress gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement $11.1 million in 2009 and 2010 for compliance reviews for a program known as 287(g), which allows local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws. But the inspector general's office said when it tried to confirm expenditures it was unable to get all documents to back up spending." Oct. 22, 2010, Washington Post

Immigration Crackdown: Lawsuit challenges local immigration enforcement

Go for it!

Lawsuit challenges local immigration enforcement| ajc.com: "Three immigrants in Georgia are suing to challenge a government program that allows local authorities to enforce federal immigration law, and they are seeking to have the case declared a class action to represent many other immigrants.

Experts say the lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Atlanta, could be the first to directly challenge the legitimacy of the 287(g) program, which has been used to identify more than 180,000 illegal immigrants for deportation nationwide since 2006." Oct. 15, 2010, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Immigration Crackdown: What do these two federal programs have in common?

What do these two federal programs have in common? : "USA Today reports that a federal program that trains and deputizes police to act as immigration agents is losing esteem among police officers. The program, called 287(g), was implemented in 2002, and aimed at catching and deporting criminal aliens from the US. Since then, a series of investigative reports by the New York Times found that the program ended up picking up mostly non-violent criminals and posed civil rights questions. This year, only one new district has signed onto the program so far." Sept. 15, 2010, KALW, the NPR station for the San Francisco area/USA Today