| Sheriff,
Board to Review 287(g) |
By Katie Murphy
Observer Staff Writer |
| Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson will address the board
of supervisors Tuesday afternoon to explain why he does not
think Loudoun should participate in the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's 287(g) program. Nearby Herndon has joined the
program, but Simpson maintains that 287(g) would not benefit
Loudoun at this time. |
| "I'm not against 287(g), there's just nothing it can
do for us right now," Simpson said. "Folks think
it can help with the illegal immigration issue, but it's not
designed to do that." |
| Participants in the 287(g) are trained by ICE officials,
who then give the localities access to ICE's database and
empower them to begin paperwork required for deportation.
But Simpson said ICE has limited its deportation policy to
accept only illegal immigrants who are violent criminals or
known gang members or who have been deported before. He said
287(g) does not change this policy. |
| Simpson said even if the sheriff's office had access to
the database, which would give them the ability to determine
legal status of a person, they still could not determine who
to deport without ICE's approval. He said based on ICE's current
deportation policies, deputies could arrest an illegal immigrant
who has several traffic violations and drunk in public charges,
but that person still would not be a candidate for the deportation
process. |
| "Right now, Loudoun County has a win-win situation
with ICE," he said. Loudoun is part of the Northern Virginia
Regional Gang Task Force, which includes an ICE agent who,
Simpson said, lives in Loudoun County. Simpson said Loudoun's
sheriff's office has access to this agent 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, and another ICE agent has been temporarily
assigned to Loudoun. |
| Simpson said it is a "win-win" situation because
he has all the resources and does not have to commit any additional
funding. He said participation in 287(g) comes with a price.
He would have to train his employees to handle ICE work and
supply jail space. |
| "Jail space is a hot commodity right now," Simpson
said. "Everyone wants some." |
| He said Loudoun already sends about 130 inmates to jails
throughout Virginia, which runs from about $55 to $65 per
day, and more inmates would have to be shipped out of Loudoun's
jails with 287(g). There are also additional costs from transporting
the inmates, and Simpson said about 60 percent of that transportation
is done on the overtime of his deputies. |
| Right now, Simpson said, if an illegal immigrant is in Loudoun's
jail system, after the person finishes his term for local
charges, ICE agents then remove that person within 24 to 48
hours. If Loudoun joined 287(g), Simpson said, ICE would not
remove the illegal immigrants, but reimburse the county $55
a day. That amount barely covers the costs to house inmates
at other facilities, though, he said. |
| Simpson said some people fear that gang members and illegal
immigrants will overrun Loudoun now that Herndon has adopted
287(g). However, he said he does not think Herndon's participation
in 287(g) would force illegal immigrants out of the town,
but rather how Herndon deals with the hiring of illegal immigrants
and violations in zoning ordinances, that could force people
to move from Herndon to Sterling and other areas of Loudoun.
|
| "These are the concerns people have in Sterling and
they think and are being told by some that 287(g) will fix
it and it won't," Simpson said. Instead of focusing on
287(g), he said, Loudoun should be focusing on zoning issues
and ways to implement rules like those in Herndon that require
business owners to sign a paper that they would not hire illegal
immigrants as employees. |
| "Those are the things that concerned citizens should
be focusing on," Simpson said. Simpson said if ICE pulls
their agent from the regional gang task force, then he would
find a way to deal with extra costs and implement 287(g).
"Because I agree we need to have access to that database
for processing," Simpson said. "I would look to
get involved and deal with the jail issue." Simpson will
speak in front of the board of supervisors May 1, at 1:30
p.m. |
