(7/2017) A hot button issue these days is the 287(g) ICE program here in Frederick County. The county’s website provides the following description of the program itself:
"In 2008 Sheriff Jenkins entered into a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs office to begin to 287(g) Criminal Alien Program within the Sheriff’s Office. This partnership entailed training office personnel from both the Detention Center and Law Enforcement Operations to become authorized to identify and begin deportation proceedings against illegal
aliens committing crimes within Frederick County. The Sheriff’s Office is one of only six Sheriff’s Offices nationwide that participate in both the jail enforcement program and the law enforcement task program.
Sheriff’s Office members (16 correctional officers and 10 law enforcement deputies) completed training in 2008, and the program officially started on August 1, 2008. The 287(g) Criminal Alien Program has been a valuable resource for deputies as well as allied agencies. The partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues as a seamless
partnership."
Now, you may ask why is this program necessary and why do you support it? It’s very simple. I support it because it makes sense, and because our Sheriff sees value in it. The subjects of this program are not "undocumented." They are already breaking the law when they come here illegally, and many continue to break the law once they have arrived. An old analogy begs the question: if I go to the
bank, pull a gun, and make an "undocumented" withdrawal, would that be legal? No, it’s called theft; it breaks a law that we have on the books, and in a society of laws, those laws must be enforced. Especially when those who break the laws show a disregard for them time and time again.
The so-called liberal "elitists" from D.C. to Hollywood have made their stance on this issue known – they disregard the threats posed by illegal immigration in favor of arguments about morality. They oppose any and all efforts to build a wall along the Southern Border, and then they return to their mansions, passing through a gated wall that protects them along the way. They’re all too happy
to hire illegal immigrants and pay them below-market wages to be their landscapers, their maids, and their gardeners, and then they go on television and tell the rest of us that our economic anxiety is simply a product of our own intolerance.
Do you want to see our home become a "sanctuary county?" I don’t. This would make our streets less safe, strip the Sheriff’s department of a valuable law enforcement tools, and place a burden on the county resources that Democrats have raised your taxes to pay for. So, if we follow the lead of outer liberal counties and make Frederick County a "sanctuary county," we must be prepared for
increased crime, higher taxes, and a decline in the quality of life as we know it. One doesn’t need to look farther than Montgomery County or Baltimore City to observe the effects of this politically motivated policy decision.
In conclusion, I ask you to approach this issue with a bit of common sense that is sorely missed in county government these days. It’s safe to assume that most of us lock our doors at night, correct? Why do we do that? Because we know that a threat to ourselves, our family, and our home does exist, even if we don’t directly observe it, and that deadbolt on our door is a valuable tool to combat
it. We know that when that door is locked, anyone who wants to come in will have to knock first.
If you follow the logic of those who want "sanctuary status" in Frederick County, we should leave our doors unlocked so that anyone can enter our homes, eat our food, watch our televisions, use our bathrooms, and sleep in our beds. And then, when they make a mess, break a dish, or steal our things, we should ask them to stay a little longer instead of making them leave.
I’m fairly certain that none of us would tolerate such a policy in our own homes, so why should we expect that it’s a good policy for our county. That’s because it isn’t; it’s a dangerous idea. I’m completely opposed to it, and I will support Sheriff Jenkins in his fight to keep the 287(g) program in place as a common-sense tool to keep the people of Frederick County safe and protected.
Anything less is irresponsible, reckless, and doesn’t prioritize the safety and security of our tax-paying, legal residents, who will always come first with me.
