John Drake: “This past March, Burke County authorities pulled over an SUV in Morganton, North Carolina, packed with 11 illegal…”

“This past March, Burke County authorities pulled over an SUV in Morganton, North Carolina, packed with 11 illegal immigrants. Local law enforcement officials were forced to release the illegals after being notified that there were not enough Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents available to check on the group's immigration status, even though they admitted that they were illegal. Law enforcement officials, not the illegal aliens, were handcuffed that night on I-40. Our hands were tied by red tape and bureaucracy and underfunding. The 287(g) program is working efficiently in my home county of Gaston, and our sheriff there, Sheriff Cloninger, is doing a fantastic job of cross-training deputies to also enforce our immigration laws of this land and gives them the authority, the legal authority, to investigate, detain and arrest illegal aliens on civil and criminal grounds. It paves the way for local law enforcement to be a part of our homeland security.”