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Oct 30, 2008 8:05 am US/Central
Houston Jail Suspends Immigration ID Program
HOUSTON (AP) ―
The Harris County Sheriff's Office has reversed course on an immigration program after a county commissioner complained the agency did not get permission to implement the plan.
The sheriff's office first sought permission from Commissioners Court in July to participate in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program, which trains law enforcement officers to help identify illegal non-U.S. citizens. Commissioner Sylvia Garcia asked to postpone a vote on the county's agreement with ICE and it never appeared on another agenda.
The court did approve plans to send nine jailers to South Carolina in August for special immigration training, and those officers began performing their immigration-related duties as soon as they returned, sheriff's spokesman Capt. John Martin said.
On Monday, ICE announced the sheriff's office had become the first local law enforcement agency in the nation to test an automated fingerprint check system that allows jailers to simultaneously review suspects' immigration and criminal histories. The system helps to identify and remove non-U.S. citizens convicted of crimes.
Garcia raised questions about the 287(g) program following ICE's announcement.
"I don't think that's the best use of our local taxpayer dollars," she said.
The 287(g) program cost nothing and did not divert any personnel or other resources from any jail function, Martin said. He said it was an oversight to allow officers to begin work before the agreement was approved by the court.
"There was no willful attempt on the part of anyone at the sheriff's office to circumvent Commissioners Court approval," said Martin in Wednesday's online edition of the Houston Chronicle.
Sheriff's officials plan to place the 287(g) agreement on the agenda for Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting.
Commissioners Court approval was not needed to implement the automated fingerprint check system and the department plans to continue to use it, Martin said.
Gregory Palmore, an ICE spokesman, said Harris County's decision to temporarily halt participation in the 287 (g) program will not affect ICE's operation at the jail.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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