Sen. Elizabeth Dole met with local sheriffs to discuss problems local law enforcement faces when dealing with illegal immigrants:
Dole said she knows immigration is a hot topic across the country. She said her office has been inundated with calls and emails from constituents. At one time during the debates, she said, calls to the Senate were so heavy that the Senate’s phone system crashed. The intense interest is why she said this tour was so important.
“I’m here to get information from our sheriffs and perhaps to be a facilitator with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” she said.
Several of the representatives spoke about the burden of handling large illegal immigration populations in jails that were already overcrowded. They estimated that the number of illegal aliens in county facilities, largely Hispanic, equals between 15 and 22 percent of their total jail population.
Both Montgomery and Randolph counties have applied for the federal program that trains local officers on how to handle illegals. But there are two major sticking points: the cost of the training and available jail space. Immigration and Customs Enforcement takes a look at whether or not a county has the capacity to hold and process illegal immigrants before they’ll sign off on training local officers.
Future jail space gives Montgomery County an edge:
Montgomery County has applied for the ICE program and is awaiting word from officials as to when training might begin. One of the reasons he believes Montgomery County may have been accepted is that the county is preparing to break ground on a new jail facility soon.
That doesn’t help counties with jails that are already full. Bunting said the Randolph County Jail was built to house 196 inmates but routinely runs over to 230. Sheriff Maynard Reid has already advised county commissioners that planning should begin to add at least one, if not two, pods or wings onto the jail.
That would appear to put Guilford County in a difficult position,considering it’s one of those counties with a full jail. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t heard Sheriff BJ Barnes, who has applied for the federal program, say loudly enough that handling illegal immigrants is a major reason why the county needs a new jail. Perhaps he should (if that indeed is the case) instead of letting Commissioner Skip Alston dictate that jail overcrowding is a substance issue. I realize the new jail debate is on the back buner now, but it will definitely heat up next year whne commissioners decide whether or not to put it on a bond referendum.
I see the feds’ point that it might not be worth the expense and effort to train local officers to handle illegal immigrants if they don’t have the jail space to hold them. But, considering that pretty much everyone agrees illegal immigration is a problem, they should still make such training a priority with the expectation that local governments will work out their issues with jail overcrowding.
