City's Immigration Plan Stretches to Nation's Border
Last updated Wednesday, November 29, 2006 10:24 PM CST in News
By Lori Harrison-Stone
The Morning News
ROGERS -- A meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials this week and a military trip to the Mexican border next week have Mayor Steve Womack thinking his local immigration efforts won't be futile.
Womack said Wednesday the meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the agency's Fort Smith office was a "direct response" to his letter asking the city be allowed to participate in 287(g) program of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
The program allows state and local law enforcement officers to be trained and certified to act as immigration officers; but, if approved to participate, Rogers is likely to be the first city government to participate in the program.
Few cities have the resources needed for the program, Womack said, adding Rogers' financial situation is very good. He believes the city is ready to commit the dollars now for the additional personnel, the federal agency's special identification system and any other costs.
Police Chief Steve Helms said Wednesday the federal identification system is similar to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System his department uses now, but it links to federal databases local law enforcement can't use. The system is set up so fingerprints are electronically scanned in and matched with proper identification information, including any official photograph that may have been taken.
"It's very impressive," Helms said, adding the digital system provides the needed information almost instantly. It also allows hard copies of fingerprints to be scanned in, which the Automated Fingerprint Identification System doesn't allow, and would likely be very useful, Helms said.
At Monday's meeting, Womack, Helms and City Attorney Ben Lipscomb explained the city's objectives for participating in the program and assured the three attending Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that there is no plan to act as a "vigilante force" out to hunt down illegal immigrants, Womack said.
The six officers the city hopes to get trained and certified through the program would be called in to investigate and process illegal immigrants if, "during the course of normal police work," it's apparent that someone who is involved in an accident, traffic stop or other police contact, doesn't have proper paperwork, he said.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are expected to prepare a report of information gathered from the city for Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers, who will decide whether Rogers can participate in the program.
But Womack isn't sitting back and waiting. He's busy with some military duty that may tie in with his municipal position and stance on immigration.
As commander of the 233rd Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard, Womack heads up what he called "the largest infantry schoolhouse outside of Georgia," the home base for the Army's infantry division.
His unit is gearing up to train National Guard troops to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in its efforts to secure the border. Womack will travel to Las Cruces, N.M., next week with two of his National Guard officers to see how the Border Patrol operates. The trip is a military trip planned for some time and won't cost Rogers anything, Womack said, but noted he sees a connection in his dual rolls.
"I've been told that the border mission is effective," he said. "It tells me that, if you're illegal in this country, you don't want to be sent back because you may not be able to cross (the border) next time."
If Rogers is able to participate in the federal immigration program, Womack said it will send a message to illegal immigrants the city is a risky place to be if they don't want to be deported. If the city does what it can to stop illegal immigration, he said, eventually Hispanics in the community will be more welcome because they won't be constantly suspected as illegal immigrants.
"The absence of that type of program has caused hardship on people who are here legally and living the American dream," he added.
Temple Black, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents involved in Monday's meeting weren't available to speak on the issue Wednesday. He also said the agency couldn't provide details of the city's likelihood of participating in the program until a decision is made.
In a news release issued Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about its work with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina, Homeland Security's Julie Myers touted the success of the federal 287(g) program. Local and federal officials there have identified and charged nearly 1,000 "criminal aliens" and have already deported 128 of them since the 287(g) program was activated there in April, according to the release.
"The ultimate goal of partnership is to improve public safety and homeland security, and the efforts here in Mecklenburg County are an example of how effective we can be when we work together," Myers said. "Our message to those individuals who think they can break our immigration laws and prey upon our communities is simple: You are mistaken. Together, we will find you and deport you."
AT A GLANCE
What Is Just Communities?
Just Communities of Northwest Arkansas has been around about 10 years. Until recently, it was part of the National Conference for Community and Justice, which changed its name in the 1990s from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
According to a Web site for the National Conference for Community and Justice, the name change in the mid-1990s was to better reflect the group's mission "to build whole and inclusive communities."
"The historic name confused many, who believed that NCCJ was an interfaith organization. Therefore, the new name is not a change in vision, but rather an affirmation of our abiding commitment to embrace the diversity of our nation," the Web site states.
Just Communities of Northwest Arkansas just this fall ended its affiliation with the National Conference for Community and Justice and joined the national network of Just Communities.
Source: Staff Report
THE ISSUE
Immigration Dialogue
The threat of bad weather has delayed plans by Just Communities of Northwest Arkansas to hold the first of what the group is calling Dialogue for Solutions meetings in response to proposed local immigration action. The group plans to offer the city of Rogers some alternative solutions to the immigration issue.
The first meeting is expected to be held next Thursday, but is open to only 35 invited "local leaders," said Ana Hart, a member of the local organization's board.
Names of the participants won't be released until the meetings are over and a report to the city is prepared. When that report is released in January, a contact list will be available for those participants who don't object to their name being released, she said.
"I think that dialogue is going to take us far beyond our own imagination," Hart said.
She described participants in the Dialogue for Solutions meetings as local Anglo, Hispanic and African American leaders and representatives of the following:
* University of Arkansas and NorthWest Arkansas Community College
* Rogers and Springdale police departments
* Rogers and Springdale school districts
* City of Rogers
* Local corporations, banks and hospitals
* Nonprofit organizations
* The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
* The League of United Latin American Citizens
Source: Staff Report
Reader Comments (13 comment(s))
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Watch Ben wrote on Nov 30, 2006 5:07 AM:
lifelongcitizen wrote on Nov 30, 2006 7:50 AM:
too bad.. wrote on Nov 30, 2006 10:08 AM:
"community" member wrote on Nov 30, 2006 11:09 AM:
Observer wrote on Nov 30, 2006 12:21 PM:
springdalevotes.com wrote on Nov 30, 2006 5:33 PM:
open minded american wrote on Nov 30, 2006 7:39 PM:
open minded phooey wrote on Dec 1, 2006 6:40 AM:
thank Womack wrote on Dec 1, 2006 6:48 AM:
Not already registered?
Born and Raised in Rogers wrote on Nov 29, 2006 10:36 PM: