Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman, noticeably absent from Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s new campaign ad, was in Graham yesterday supporting Dole as she spoke at the Alamance County Jail.
Schatzman again cited cost as one reason why Forsyth more than likely won’t enroll in the federal 287g program:
Schatzman said that if Forsyth County were to enact the 287(g) program, the county — not the federal government — would have to pay for the extra staff.
Forsyth County is unlikely to be enrolled in the program anytime soon because the federal government has slowed expansion of the program.
Brian Nick, Dole’s chief of staff, said that the program is not intended to require any additional staff, just retraining of existing staff.
He also said that the 287(g) program is intended to be used only in counties with enough jail space to detain the illegal immigrants. Forsyth County, which has a crowded jail, is not considered one of those counties.
Meanwhile, a Kay Hagan spokesman points to state funds hagan secured to help counties set up the 287g program:
“Washington wasn’t providing it,” said Dave Hoffman, a spokesman for Hagan. “This is another issue where Washington is broken.”
Dole directly disputed Hagan’s charge. She said that the federal government pays the full cost of the program.
Maybe it’s me, but the ‘Washington is broken’ line is getting a little old. Hagan needs to come up with new catch phrase.
Update: Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes was also with Dole in Graham yesterday and the idea of using the Alamance County jail as a regional center was further discussed.
