Apr 30 2008
Hagan, Dole Disagree on State Immigration Program
The first-term senator from Salisbury is pushing to expand a long-dormant federal program — known as 287(g) — that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to train local law authorities in enforcing the laws, using databases to check immigration status of arrestees and beginning deportation proceedings.
About 400,000 illegal immigrants live in North Carolina, according to a 2006 study conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a national nonpartisan research group based in Washington. Some state authorities and officials complain they take up space in jails and are a drain on state resources.
Five counties in the state, including Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County, are participating and have identified thousands of undocumented aliens in custody.
It’s popular with North Carolina Republicans — and more than a few Democrats — but not the two leaders in the state’s May 6 primary for the Democratic ticket challenging Dole.
“This is another unfunded federal mandate,” said state Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro. “We’re not saying that we need to be the IRS agents and collect federal taxes. Why are we now being asked on a state level to be immigration officers? The federal government must provide the necessary employees to do this job.”
Dole noted the program is voluntary, adding that she has supported additional funding for federal immigration officials.
Hagan is correct to a degree. The Feds should be handling this and not pushing the responsibility off to the states, but there is nothing wrong with allowing states to enforce this issue within their own state lines. It is a popular program in North Carolina and the reality is right now the Federal Government isn’t doing anywhere near enough to deal with the problem and based on the possible successors for Bush, it doesn’t appear that will change in the next administration.
