October 4, 2006

Deputies take on federal duties

Sheriff’s office will help transfer illegals to border

By ROBERT BOYER

Burlington Times-News

GRAHAM — Some Alamance County Sheriff ’s Department employees will soon take on a bigger role in stemming illegal immigration.     The Department of Homeland Security has formally approved an agreement with the county to train and swear-in sheriff ’s officers as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Sheriff Terry Johnson announced Monday.

Approval came within two days after Johnson and County Manager David Smith met with Congressman Howard Coble, the sheriff told county commissioners.

Ten jailers and 13 deputies, including lawmen from the sheriff ’s Interstate Criminal Enforcement (ICE), gang and special operations units, will be sworn-in as federal ICE officers after completing training, Johnson said.

The interstate unit will return illegal aliens from Mexico to the border twice a week by bus, the sheriff said. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will provide the bus and aircraft to deport detainees, sheriff ’s spokesman Randy Jones said.

“This stuff is not going to cost the county anything,” Jones said.

The agreement, which falls under the Immigration and Nationality Act, will give his office “enhanced capacity for dealing with immigration violators in Alamance County,” Johnson said in a press release. It also strengthens national security, he told commissioners.

“Like I’ve said all along, I think homeland security starts right here at home,” Johnson said.

Training will run about 5 1/2 weeks and should begin within two months, Johnson said after meeting with commissioners. Training will mostly cover federal immigration regulations and how to prepare deportation paperwork. Customs officials will supervise local officers.

A training site hasn’t been determined, but efforts are under way to locate it in-house, Jones said, and training will probably be staggered.

The agreement has built-in flexibility, Jones said. The sheriff ’s office might start with a few officers and concentrate more on transporting illegal aliens than apprehending or detaining them. The 240-bed expansion of the county jail needs to be completed before the program can be fully implemented, he said.

Homeland Security will provide a computerized fingerprinting system that provides detailed criminal background and immigration records within minutes, Johnson said. Among other things, the agreement allows local officers to fill out and file detainers on suspected illegals instead of waiting for customs officials to arrive and begin the process, Johnson said.

“It’s going to be a huge improvement for Alamance County,” he said. “There’s only so many ICE agents in the state and they’re running everywhere.”     The agreement could lead to more asset forfeiture money for the county, and should eventually cut down on crime and the victimization of Hispanics who spend thousands on bogus documentation, the sheriff said.

“The people I’m targeting are gang members, your drug dealers and people that are violating the laws of this state.”