A federal immigration enforcement program used in Prince William and Loudoun counties needs better oversight, according to a report from the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security.
The report includes 33 recommendations to strengthen management and controls of the 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement agents to enforce certain federal immigration laws.
“With no specific target levels for arrest, detention, and removal priority levels … ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] cannot be assured that the 287(g) program is meeting its intended purpose, or that resources are being appropriately targeted toward aliens who pose the greatest risk to public safety and the community,” sad the report from the office of Richard L. Skinner, the inspector general for DHS.
Fieldwork for the report included interviews with civil rights and immigration rights representatives from eight states, including Maryland, as well as the District. Officials also reviewed 287(g) activities at six locations across the country, including the Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center.
Immigrant advocates have long contended that the 287(g) program can lead to racial profiling.
“In the rush to engage state and local law enforcement on federal immigration matters, ICE has created a program that lacks oversight, undermines community relations and breeds mistrust,” said Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, the research arm of the American Immigration Council.
“In the rush to engage state and local law enforcement on federal immigration matters, ICE has created a program that lacks oversight, undermines community relations and breeds mistrust,” said Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, the research arm of the American Immigration Council.
Locally, though, partnerships with the federal government in immigration enforcement appear to be going more smoothly.
“We haven’t had any issues,” said Loudoun County sheriff’s office spokesman Kraig Troxell. Loudoun had turned over 55 suspected illegal immigrants to ICE this year, through March 29.
Further, 85 percent of respondents to Prince William County’s annual citizen satisfaction survey said they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way the county police department was carrying out its immigration policy.
Patrick McDonough, a Maryland state delegate, has sponsored a bill that would expand the program statewide in Maryland. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office is the only jurisdiction in the state that currently participates in the program.
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Fiscal Year
Funding (in millions)
Percentage increase
2006
$5.0
N/A
2007
$14.4
188%
2008
$42.1
192%
2009
$54.1
29%
2010
$68.0
26%
Source: ICE Office of State and Local Coordination
