John Drake: “I introduce an amendment today to highlight the importance of State and local law enforcement participation in…”

“I introduce an amendment today to highlight the importance of State and local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement. The intent of this amendment is to fully fund the President's budget request of $26.4 million for State and local law enforcement support for the training and support for the voluntary participation of local law enforcement officers and immigration law enforcement as authorized under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This program is designed to enhance cooperation and communication between Federal, State, and local law enforcement in identifying and removing criminal illegal aliens. Under 287(g), ICE provides State and local law enforcement with the training and authorization to identify; process; and, when appropriate, detain immigration offenders they encounter during their regular daily law enforcement activity. It is very important to note that the 287(g) program is not used for rounding up illegal aliens in random street operations. This program is targeted specifically for those individuals who pose a significant threat to public safety and national security. Additionally, the 287(g) program is not used to determine the legal status of witnesses and victims of crime. Officers in the 287(g) program are trained to respect the status of witnesses and victims involved in a criminal case in order to ensure the integrity of our criminal justice system.”