What Is Goin’ On?

I have conducted a lot of interviews about border security, particularly with regard to the issue of the fence on our southern border with Mexico. There is another equally important aspect of a sound, common sense, immigration policy: enforce our immigration laws. If the federal government is dragging its feet on building a fence, it is equally deficient in enforcing our immigration laws. This is not a criticism of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel charged with this responsibility, as much as it is a recognition that there just aren’t enough ICE personnel to enforce our immigration laws in the cities and towns of everyday America.

Well, there is an alternative and, I think, a good one: local law enforcement enforcing our immigration laws. Now, doesn’t that just make good old, common sense? I am not sure how many ICE enforcement officers there are, but there are literally hundred of thousands of local law enforcement officers all across America. Why spend the money to hire more immigration officers? Why not harness the abilities of law enforcement officers already out in the field?

To effectively enforce our immigration laws on a local basis, cities and counties need two things: (1) training for law enforcement officers, and (2) state and local laws which assist in identifying illegal aliens.

On Tuesday night D. A. King, Founder of The Dustin Inman Society appeared before the Cobb County Commission and proposed that the Commission require applicants for business licenses to declare whether or not they are citizens of the US or otherwise here legally. We require pharmacists to report people that buy certain drugs on the basis that they may be manufacturing methamphetamine. We require doctors and preachers to report information of possible child abuse. We even require people to swear their tax return is accurate. I cannot imagine but one reason that we don’t ask people to declare their legal status when they want to get a driver’s license or open a business: we didn’t think about it.

Well, now we have thought about it. Cobb County has thought about it. Hopefully, they will act on it, as well.

And apparently, Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren is the only sheriff in Georgia who has thought about it and decided to do something about it. Sheriff Warren has taken advantage of the provisions of existing federal law to have several of his deputies go through the training necessary to have them authorized to enforce our immigration laws. As a result, in Cobb County when someone is arrested for DUI or speeding or whatever, his legal status in the country is checked and if the person is illegal, local law enforcement can initiate the deportation process. Without this ability, even if the illegal status is discovered, getting ICE personnel to do something is not necessarily easy or efficient.

So what is the sheriff or the chief of police in your town or county doing to enforce these laws locally? If you don’t know, maybe it is time to find out!