GA. Hall sheriff: Deport illegal immigrants. (law, accuse, crimes, deportation)

[JD59]

Hall County Sheriff Steve Cronic won't tiptoe around the hot-button topic of illegal immigration. Cronic, whose jail has an average of 225 foreign nationals booked in each month, says he's tired of inaction by federal officials when it comes to deporting accused lawbreakers who are in the country illegally. Now he wants his deputies to start the deportation process themselves.

"This isn't about immigration," Cronic said of a proposed local-federal partnership which would give his office new enforcement powers. "It's about illegal immigration. Our focus would continue to be on identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal aliens who are in our country illegally and committing crimes."

Already in place in Cobb County, Charlotte, Phoenix and Los Angeles, section 287(g) of the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act essentially deputizes local law officers in immigration enforcement. It would give six Hall County jail booking officers and two field investigators the power to run immigration checks, red-flag those arrested while in the country illegally, and initiate deportation proceedings. Immigration enforcement officials would have 72 hours to transfer illegal immigrants to a federal detention center and begin scheduling immigration court hearings.

Only a select list of law enforcement agencies have an official memorandum of understanding with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allows deputies to use the provisions of 287(g). The Hall County Sheriff's Office is one of 67 law enforcement agencies from across the nation on a waiting list of applicants. Cronic has been waiting since February.

"It's been a little frustrating for us, because this has dragged on a lot longer than we anticipated," Cronic said.

Hall sheriff: Deport illegal immigrants - gainesvilletimes.com (broken link)

[The Dissenter]

Okay Bush and lameduck (more like lame-a**) Congress, if u aint trying to deport these thugs, at least give our cities and counties the power to do so.

[pablo-me]

I looking forward to this authorization spreading across the country to all municipalities in the near future.
True, there will be countless illegals entering the US during the interim, but they aren't going anywhere and they sure as hell won't be getting citizenship.

[ducter]

I think that a state already was told they cant do this?

This will just be stopped by the government since they will easily say that this is the governments job (that what was told to PA)

Or even worse they will infest other states where this doesnt exist. Lots of tought talk around election time.

[twixcookie]

I thought state governments superceded federal government. I will have to find the real document that says that. I thought that was how our nation was set up, for the states to rule themselves.
If the Federal government says we cannot deport them, then we can say goodbye to the US.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by ducter

I think that a state already was told they cant do this?

This will just be stopped by the government since they will easily say that this is the governments job (that what was told to PA)

Or even worse they will infest other states where this doesnt exist. Lots of tought talk around election time.

You are correct. Issues regarding immigration is a power given exclusively to the federal government.

However, this sort of state and local initiative is also important and useful "symbolically," to gather support and inertia towards national legislation.