Washington, DC – Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX) and 53 other Members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama today expressing their support for a broadly-applied 287(g) program. The letter comes just days after the Obama administration implemented limits on state and local law enforcement agencies who participate in the 287(g) program. The limits prevent state and local law enforcement officers from arresting many of the illegal immigrants with whom they come into contact.
Ranking Member Smith, who co-authored the legislation that created 287(g), said:
“The Obama administration should not politicize this highly effective immigration enforcement and public safety program. Thanks to the 287(g) program, thousands of illegal immigrants that are identified in jails and through task force operations are being identified and deported.
“Claims that the program was supposed to focus only on ‘serious’ crimes are false. The program was created to let state and local law enforcement officials help enforce all immigration laws, not just a select few. One of the most effective things we can do to prevent illegal immigrant crimes in the first place is to deport illegal immigrants before they’ve committed one, whether they are identified in jails or by law enforcement task forces.
“The open borders crowd doesn’t like the 287(g) program because it is working -- thousands of illegal immigrants are being identified and deported. It is so popular that the Department of Homeland Security rejected dozens of applications due to funding shortfalls in the last few years.
“Local law enforcement agencies deserve our thanks for helping to remove illegal immigrants from our communities before they threaten American lives and property. The Obama administration should not limit local agencies’ ability to help enforce our nation’s laws.”
According to the letter:
“The 287(g) program, whether through jail intake, task force or other operational models, is effective and has been used by jurisdictions across the United States to help reduce crime and illegal immigration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) own website states ‘[T]he 287(g) program has emerged as one of the agency’s most successful and popular partnership initiatives as more state and local leaders have come to understand how a shared approach to immigration enforcement can benefit their communities.’ It allows law enforcement officials direct access to the information needed, and the authority, to issue detainers and hold an illegal immigrant until ICE is available to transport the individual to a detention facility.
“According to ICE statistics, ‘[S]ince January 2006, the 287(g) program is credited with identifying more than 130,000 potentially removable aliens – mostly at local jails. More than 1075 officers have been trained and certified through the program....’ The number of participating jurisdictions, currently at 57, has been as high as 67. Participants include local police departments, county sheriffs’ offices, state departments of corrections and state departments of public safety.”
In addition to Members of Congress, a study released this month indicates that Americans also support the 287(g) program. According to Rasmussen Reports, 64% of those surveyed believe law enforcement officers should conduct surprise visits at locations where illegal immigrants seek employment. Only 19% opposed the visits compared to 24% who opposed such visits back in April. By a 13-point margin, Americans believe that the federal government should not prevent local law enforcement from checking an individual's immigration status even if they have committed no other crime.
The letter from Congressional 287(g) supporters follows numerous attacks on 287(g) by amnesty proponents. In addition to limiting 287(g) to only ‘serious’ criminals, the Obama administration recently stripped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of 287(g) task force authority. In addition, both the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the New York Times editorial board recently called for the program’s termination.
Letter attached:
102609 Obama287g (FINAL).pdf