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Rep. Taylor Announces Regional Alliance to Streamline Deportation of Illegal Aliens

Washington, Jul 13 -

Western North Carolina Representative Charles Taylor announced today that the Eleventh District of North Carolina will become the first area in the nation to undertake a regional approach to the arrest and deportation of illegal aliens. Taylor recently met with a group of local law enforcement officers from counties across the district and officers from the ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) program about the establishment of the Delegation of Authority Program under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. The 287(g) program utilizes federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to train and work with local law enforcement, to give them the tools to enforce deportation laws and guidelines. North Carolina currently has the 8th largest illegal alien population in the country. The state experienced a 58.1% increase in its foreign-born population just between the years of 2000 and 2005. This was one of the largest percentage increases in the country for that time period.

“A concerted effort to secure our borders must be the foundation for any comprehensive immigration reform,” said Taylor, “but we must also act quickly when illegal aliens who have broken our laws are arrested. This regional approach will help get the people who ignore our laws out of the country more quickly.”

Rep. Taylor met with law enforcement officers from across the district and ICE officers for advice in developing the regional Delegation of Authority Program. The officers told Rep. Taylor that their situation is dire, as many do not have the resources or training to combat the growing problem with illegal aliens. The Eleventh District of North Carolina is a large rural area consisting of the western-most fifteen counties of the state. Because of Western North Carolina’s unique challenges in the fight against illegal immigration, Rep. Taylor said participation in the 287(g) program is a positive step in the right direction.

The eight county pilot program being established for Western North Carolina includes the counties of Henderson, Buncombe, Polk, Rutherford, Madison, McDowell, Transylvania and Yancey – those most closely located near federal immigration control resources in Charlotte.

Rutherford County Sheriff Philip Byers said, "This will allow us to enforce the laws that are already on the books. We welcome legal immigrants but want to deal with those who break the laws to get here and especially those who sell drugs, drive without licenses and commit other crimes while here. We're proud that Congressman Taylor has Western North Carolina law enforcement on the cutting edge of this issue."

Once the regional program in the initial eight counties is established, the other seven counties in the Eleventh District will be phased into the program.

“The cooperation demonstrated by the sheriffs and law enforcement officers in Western North Carolina to help combat this problem is incredible,” said Rep. Taylor. “I will work with them and in Congress to help make this first regional program of its kind a success.”

Rep. Taylor has been at the forefront of Congressional efforts to reform the countries immigration laws. He has introduced a three-point plan in the House of Representatives that includes: securing the nation’s borders; establishing a rapid visa program to allow companies to quickly bring needed workers into the country in a legal manner; and, rejecting amnesty for the 12 to 20 million people who are here illegally.