Tucson Citizen Opinion
Promotes vigorous, coordinated interior enforcement:
* Increases the number of investigators and attorneys in the Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement; also increases Justice immigration judges and attorneys and creates an assistant attorney general for immigration enforcement in Justice.
* Authorizes state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration law – similar to narcotics and vice operations. This could add as many as 700,000 officers to the battle against illegal immigration.
* Adds to the National Crime Information Center data base the names of 400,000 illegal aliens in the U.S. with standing deportation orders, including 85,000 murderers, rapists and other violent criminals; gives local police immediate access to the data base.
* State and local law enforcement agencies that choose to use this authority will have access to $1 billion in State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) reimbursement funds per year.
* Increases federal detention space by 10,000 beds and promotes alternatives to detention.
* Homeland Security will report to Congress each year on progress made in enforcing immigration laws in the interior country.
Posted by Richard at October 25, 2005