After the murder of Riley's murder last year by a Venezuelan migrant, Georgia enacted a law that was to be against illegal immigration. However, a lack of funds dampens its effect.
Steve Stekeep, host:
Let us find out how some state authorities try to enforce the federal immigration law. The answer is another state in the state and we will go to Georgia, where the murder of a student led to a new national immigration law. The state of Georgia has its own law in which the sheriffs are supposed to work with the immigration authorities, and it turns out that this is difficult to do. Here is Emily Wu Pearson von Wabe in Atlanta.
Emily Wu Pearson, Byline: Riley sheets was murdered by a Venezuelan man last February, who illegally crossed the border and was once caught when shop theft, but was released. Within a few days, Georgia's legislators made the enforcement of immigration a top priority.
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Jesse Petrea: In Georgia, people in this state await the people we represent we will do something.
Pearson: This is Jesse Petrea, the Republican state representative who campaigned for the law of Georgia. The local sheriffs must apply for a 287 (g) partnership, a federal program that the local law enforcement authorities derived in order to take on some federal immigration tasks within prisons, mainly to identify and capture migrants without legal status being arrested for criminal charges.
Terry Norris: The law mandates that you ask for participation. The law does not stipulate that you participate.
Pearson: Terry Norris is the managing director of Georgia Sheriffs' Association. He says she worked with 142 sheriffs throughout the state last year to apply for the 287 (G) partnership.
Norris: We have created a template-a small two-line letter to ICE, the Sheriff and so from County so-and-so. Please know that I am interested in the 287 (G) program.
Pearson: He says that last year no County was approved for the program with ICE that the sheriffs did not have enough resources. An ICE spokesman did not answer a request for a comment. According to Norris, the lack of staff was a problem.
Norris: Georgia Sheriffs are like almost every other agency in the whole country. We are very difficult to hire MPs and prison attendants.
Pearson: And that's one thing that you need to keep 287 (g). Norris and his association hope for more state funds to achieve this.
Norris: The district taxpayers pay the costs for the Sheriff's office, the costs for prison or medical and psychological costs, food costs.
Pearson: Several laws guided by Republicans are now considering similar laws that would include local authorities in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Some of the proposals only require the local law enforcement authorities not to hinder the federal immigration operations. Others demand these federal 287 (g) partnerships that are not cheap, says Emily Davis, who teaches immigration rights at Emory University.
Emily Davis: It is very expensive for local governments to do this type of immigration work, and they are usually not familiar with the immigration status and the Immigration Act to make this determination.
Pearson: The enforcement of the Immigration Act is a federal responsibility. And the National Laken Riley Act indicates the authorities to capture and deport people without legal status to whom a wide range of crimes was accused, including shop theft, burglary, attack on a police officer or crime that leads to death or serious bodily harm to another person. Atlanta's immigration lawyer, Charles Kuck, says that this will need many more ice agents.
Charles Kuck: ICE warned the congress because they considered this legislation that they had neither the funds nor the resources in order to actually carry out this calculation. And two, if they wanted, they would need about 23 billion US dollars.
Pearson: Kuck says that the law will not have a real effect without financing. In the meantime, Georgia Sheriffs will try again 287 (g) partnerships as part of a new administration.
For NPR News I am Emily Wu Pearson in Atlanta.
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