By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Lewis County is getting set to implement a program run by immigration authorities that Sheriff Steve Mansfield says he hopes will “increase the number of people getting put back on the bus.”
Called “Secure Communities”, the system allows the fingerprints of anyone booked into the Lewis County Jail to be checked against databases at U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a division of Homeland Security.
Mansfield told Lewis County commissioners yesterday it’s “kind of controversial”.
But Lewis County wouldn’t be doing any so-called profiling, Mansfield said, as all fingerprints will be submitted.
The prints are sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and it’s the FBI that would be sharing them with ICE, who make the decisions about the individuals they have issues with and want to hold, he said.
Some people may be found to be in the country illegally, but also some legal immigrants who violate certain laws will then be dealt with by immigration authorities, according to Mansfield.
ICE describes the program as improving public safety by changing the way criminal aliens are identified and removed from the country; and leveraging existing information sharing capabilities.
Lewis County is one of eight counties in Washington that have requested access to the program, according to a news story on Saturday in the Yakima Herald-Republic [1]; Yakima County will be the first when it begins next week.
Lewis County Jail Chief Kevin Hanson said he’s hoping the system will be put into place in the next month.