From today's Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg:
Spotsylvania Sheriff Howard Smith is "shocked and amazed" that a supervisor asked staff this week to investigate the costs and benefits of having deputies enforce federal immigration laws.That's his reaction because on Aug. 10 Smith sent a three-page memo to Spotsylvania supervisors detailing a plan to use the training provided under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act for jail wardens, not patrol deputies.
Smith said he never heard back from Supervisor Chris Yakabouski, who made the request at Tuesday night's board meeting. Yakabouski's motion passed unanimously. Illegal immigration is a focus of Yakabouski's senate campaign material.
...
Smith's Aug. 10 memo states the best way to combat illegal immigration locally is to have Rappahannock Regional Jail wardens take the five-week federal training. Using patrol deputies would take them off the streets for more than a month, and all the costs would fall on county taxpayers.After the training, jail wardens could access federal immigration databases for records instead of dealing with federal immigration officials over the phone. Smith said the jail approach has been successful across the nation.
"To me, the best approach for us is to look at it regionally," he said. "That way we all share some of the costs and we do it through our local jail. Then you are targeting illegal immigrants who are breaking the law."
I'm contacting Sherrif Smith today and see if there's anything I can do to help his campaign!
And a warning to the Supervisors and other folks seeking state level offices, get the facts on the costs and expenses before you try and get my vote by trying to scare me or convince me by saying you "voted against illegal immigrants receiving any state or local public-assistance benefits."