Sheriff seeks illegal-immigrant funding

Bradenton Herald ^ | May 02, 2008 | MAURA POSSLEY

[mdittmar]

County Commissioner Donna Hayes has asked Sheriff Brad Steube to look into a program that would identify illegal immigrants booked at the county jail and detain them for possible deportation.

The so-called 287(g) program, run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, trains local law enforcement officers on how to question and detain an arrestee believed to be living illegally in the United States for possible deportation.

Steube has pursued the program for more than a year and might soon get his wish.

More than 90 agencies nationwide are seeking funding for the program, according to ICE, and 47 agencies are already participating in the program that has trained nearly 700 officers.

Hayes asked the sheriff to evaluate the program, saying it would act as a way to save money during a trying economic time for the county.

"With the very extreme budget cuts we're facing this year, I know we need to be looking at everything that will balance the budget this year," said Hayes, who is vying for reelection against challengers Benwayne Morrison and Bob Henderson, both of Myakka. "Any measure like this that helps is certainly beneficial to everyone."

Hayes said Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter has saved $9 million through the program. In about 19,000 surveys sent to Republican voters in her district, Hayes said the concept was overwhelmingly supported.

"Residents still feel that they should not be subsidizing immigrants," she said. "It doesn't make good sense to keep immigrant alien offenders in our jails."

But opponents say the idea the program saves money is a tactic to use illegal immigrants as scapegoats. Budget figures that show savings are "politically motivated," said Maria Rodriguez, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

"It's clear that given the issues Floridians face in this economy that it's almost irresponsible to divert public safety resources to criminalize the workers that make such a contribution to the economy," she said.

Rodriguez said the program fosters racial profiling, focusing on non-violent immigrants instead of violence.

"If these policemen are going to be detaining and imprisoning the workers of Florida's principal industries, then they're not going to be addressing the issues they should be addressing that are the real threats," she said.

Steube said his office should receive word from ICE officials on his request within 30 days. If so,10 deputies would be trained.

The savings Hayes quoted for Collier County would not be mirrored here, Steube said, because he estimated Collier has a larger community of immigrants suspected to be living there illegally.

"It will save some money, not quite a bit of money," the sheriff said.

[Man50D]

The movement to deport illegals is slowly and steadily growing nationwide.

[levotb]

The b***h who wrote this story obviously doesn’t like 287-g. She calls it “the so-called program”...SO-CALLED????? That IS what it is called, you dufus “journalist”!