Testing the system

Maricopa County Arizona has been a 287g agency since February of 2007. They are authorized to do both jail screening and participate in task force operations. And they are a busy place since Arizona is a border state and Maricopa County has a population of 3.7 million people.

Recently Janet Napolitano, former Arizona governor and now Obama's Secretary of Homeland Security, declared that the 287g program was only to be invoked for major crimes the agency was willing to prosecute. Translation: It would not be used for removing illegal aliens from the country.

Sheriff Arpaio has been accused of racial profiling simply for arresting illegal aliens in the course of his police work.

Under the new rules (which weren't suppose to impact his agency for 90 days) the federal government has ordered the release of illegal aliens rather than take custody of them. ICE told the media that Sheriff Arpaio let them go.

But the Sheriff has audio tapes that tell a different story. His deputies are speaking with ICE agents who order them released. The option is to give them a letter to return at a later date and show proof of lawful presence to the sheriff. In one tape, the ICE agent and deputy both have a good laugh about the effectiveness of that letter.

So, ten known illegal aliens were put back on the street as a direct result of policy changes by the executive branch.

This administration is very proactive in dismantling the effectiveness of 287g.

Why do I say that? Well, if ICE only wants people who have been convicted of major crimes, you don't need any local screening or enforcement. All you need is to screen inmates before they are released from state prisons and maybe county jails.

Any illusion of enforcement is gone. There is no deterrent effect.

Then again, here in Elgin we don't have 287g or ICE ACCESS so all of our illegal aliens are put back on the street, approximately one a day.