All eyes on Alamance County for ongoing immigration debate
A controversial immigration program has propelled Alamance County into the center of a nationwide debate on immigration reform. The program, called 287(g) after the code of federal law, grants county sheriff offices the right to pass arrested people on to federal immigration officials after their criminal cases are resolved.
Alamance County is one of seven counties out of the 100 in North Carolina that have implemented a 287(g) program, which grants officers access to a federal immigration database. Since many other counties across the nation are considering adding the program, the success of Alamance County is being closely watched.
A dark shadow was cast on the program after several stories emerged earlier this year.
One story chronicles a Graham Public Library worker who was using a dead person’s social security number. She was brought to America illegally when she was 3 years old and her immigration status became an issue when her name popped up in county health records. She is currently going through the deportation process, but her American-born children are not.
“That’s taking 287(g) in a direction that certainly wasn’t intended when it was embraced by our community leaders,” said Thomas Arcaro, professor of sociology, who has been following the program. “The rhetoric was that the program was not going to go looking for people, but if they fell in our lap then we would do something about that. Now, it’s taken on a different twist.”
Another incident in July involved a Hispanic woman who identified herself as Maria Chavira Ventura. She was arrested after driving with expired tags, no proof of insurance and no identification. After she was arrested and taken to jail, her three children were left unattended in her car for eight hours before their father came and picked them up.
Activists say that these cases will intimidate foreigners from reporting crimes or seeking medical help.
“Our primary concern is that people are being vandalized,” said Jose Alegria-Ortega, a spokesperson for a group of citizens with concerns about 287(g). “Their cars and homes are being broken into, but they are not reporting those incidents to the police because they don’t want to call any attention to themselves if they are here undocumented.”
But Randy Jones, public information officer of the Alamance County sheriff’s office, says that officers only check the immigration status of people who are arrested for committing crimes.
“People shouldn’t have any concerns,” he said. “We have victims come in here all the time and we don’t ask what their status is. We’re not concerned. We’re their advocate at that point.”
The sheriff’s office stands by the program as being the most effective way to deal with illegal immigration on a local level. It says that the number of Hispanic people who have been screened is proportionate to the population.
“I think it ought to be everywhere,” Jones said. “We’ve uncovered a number of individuals who were in status of ‘wanted,’ or who were previously deported aggravated felons.”
Opponents of the program say that it encourages racial profiling.
“I think that many people are being profiled by their ethnicity,” Alegria-Ortega said. “They are being pulled over and don’t have a license to drive, but they are being detained, taken to jail and deported.”
“When Sheriff Johnson started this he said, ‘I’m not just going after ordinary folks. I’m going after people who are drug dealers and violent criminals,’” the Rev. McBride said. “It hasn’t turned out that way. Folks without a fishing license are being arrested.”
Jones insists that everyone who is arrested is screened and that racial profiling is not happening in the county.
“Everyone is generically screened through the database when they come in,” he said. “There are no road blocks, no people going out door-to-door. These 287(g) officers don’t have field authority.”
Alegria-Ortega and his group would like to see a committee established to monitor the success of the 287(g) program, and to set up a complaint department. At a recent county commissioner meeting, he spoke in favor of finding a group to oversee the program.
Another reason the program has been criticized is because the money used to support the 287(g) program comes from state and local governments.
In Wake County, the program took $600,000 to start up, and will require another $500,000 in support each year.
Although Alamance County has experienced these community and financial concerns, many counties in North Carolina are looking to add the 287(g) program.
Alamance County is one of seven counties out of the 100 in North Carolina that have implemented a 287(g) program, which grants officers access to a federal immigration database. Since many other counties across the nation are considering adding the program, the success of Alamance County is being closely watched.
A dark shadow was cast on the program after several stories emerged earlier this year.
One story chronicles a Graham Public Library worker who was using a dead person’s social security number. She was brought to America illegally when she was 3 years old and her immigration status became an issue when her name popped up in county health records. She is currently going through the deportation process, but her American-born children are not.
“That’s taking 287(g) in a direction that certainly wasn’t intended when it was embraced by our community leaders,” said Thomas Arcaro, professor of sociology, who has been following the program. “The rhetoric was that the program was not going to go looking for people, but if they fell in our lap then we would do something about that. Now, it’s taken on a different twist.”
Another incident in July involved a Hispanic woman who identified herself as Maria Chavira Ventura. She was arrested after driving with expired tags, no proof of insurance and no identification. After she was arrested and taken to jail, her three children were left unattended in her car for eight hours before their father came and picked them up.
Activists say that these cases will intimidate foreigners from reporting crimes or seeking medical help.
“Our primary concern is that people are being vandalized,” said Jose Alegria-Ortega, a spokesperson for a group of citizens with concerns about 287(g). “Their cars and homes are being broken into, but they are not reporting those incidents to the police because they don’t want to call any attention to themselves if they are here undocumented.”
But Randy Jones, public information officer of the Alamance County sheriff’s office, says that officers only check the immigration status of people who are arrested for committing crimes.
“People shouldn’t have any concerns,” he said. “We have victims come in here all the time and we don’t ask what their status is. We’re not concerned. We’re their advocate at that point.”
The sheriff’s office stands by the program as being the most effective way to deal with illegal immigration on a local level. It says that the number of Hispanic people who have been screened is proportionate to the population.
“I think it ought to be everywhere,” Jones said. “We’ve uncovered a number of individuals who were in status of ‘wanted,’ or who were previously deported aggravated felons.”
Opponents of the program say that it encourages racial profiling.
“I think that many people are being profiled by their ethnicity,” Alegria-Ortega said. “They are being pulled over and don’t have a license to drive, but they are being detained, taken to jail and deported.”
“When Sheriff Johnson started this he said, ‘I’m not just going after ordinary folks. I’m going after people who are drug dealers and violent criminals,’” the Rev. McBride said. “It hasn’t turned out that way. Folks without a fishing license are being arrested.”
Jones insists that everyone who is arrested is screened and that racial profiling is not happening in the county.
“Everyone is generically screened through the database when they come in,” he said. “There are no road blocks, no people going out door-to-door. These 287(g) officers don’t have field authority.”
Alegria-Ortega and his group would like to see a committee established to monitor the success of the 287(g) program, and to set up a complaint department. At a recent county commissioner meeting, he spoke in favor of finding a group to oversee the program.
Another reason the program has been criticized is because the money used to support the 287(g) program comes from state and local governments.
In Wake County, the program took $600,000 to start up, and will require another $500,000 in support each year.
Although Alamance County has experienced these community and financial concerns, many counties in North Carolina are looking to add the 287(g) program.
Updated September 16, 2008
