CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Sheriff’s deputies from Gaston and Alamance counties began a rigorous four-week training course today to enable them to do limited immigration law enforcement as part of agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

As part of the curriculum, the 10 sheriff’s deputies from Gaston County and 12 from Alamance County will receive in-depth instruction on a variety of immigration enforcement topics, including immigration law, civil rights, and intercultural relations. 

ICE has finalized the agreement with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office and has reached a tentative agreement with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office.  As in Mecklenburg County, the agreement will enable those deputies to interview foreign national inmates in the counties’ correctional facilities to determine whether there is probable cause for an immigration violation.  Under the program, the deputies will complete the processing of any criminal aliens and prepare documentation to place those aliens in deportation proceedings.

“Partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies are essential to our efforts to protect our communities from national security and public safety threats,” said Julie L. Myers, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE.  “I applaud these sheriffs for their commitment to helping ICE remove criminal aliens and others who could pose a risk for our citizens.”

The two North Carolina sheriffs’ departments join the eight other law enforcement agencies nationwide that are currently participating in the 287(g) program.  The program permits ICE to cross-designate officers from participating agencies to perform limited immigration enforcement functions once the officers receive the required training. 

Additionally, four more Mecklenburg County deputies will be trained during this month’s course.  The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, which was the first North Carolina agency to cross-designate its officers, has participated in the 287(g) program since February 2006.

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson applied for the training after seeing its success in the Mecklenburg area.

“This training is a win-win situation for everyone,” said Sheriff Johnson.  “If we come across people who are committing crimes, in addition to violating our immigration laws, we want do everything we can to take them off of the streets and remove them from our communities.”

To date, ICE has trained 190 officers nationwide under the 287(g) program.  More than 40 municipal, county, and state agencies nationwide have applied for 287(g) agreements with ICE.  In fiscal year 2006, the program is credited with 6,043 arrests.  So far this fiscal year, the 287(g) program has resulted in 3,327 arrests.  

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