House Passes Drake Amendment to Fully Fund 287(g) Program

Press Release

House Passes Drake Amendment to Fully Fund 287(g) Program

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed an amendment by Representative Thelma Drake (R-Va.) to H.R. 2638, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008. Passing by a 286-127 margin, Rep. Drake's amendment restores full funding for the 287(g) program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The 287(g) program enables the federal government to enter into partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of identifying and removing illegal aliens currently in the U.S. criminal justice system. Rep. Drake's amendment increases funding for the program by $9.1 million in order to meet the level requested by ICE.

"At a time when our nation is desperately in need of viable solutions to address illegal immigration, there is at least one program that has been proven to show results," said Rep. Drake. "From California to North Carolina, localities that have implemented the 287(g) program have been able to successfully identify and remove illegal aliens hiding within their criminal justice system. With this kind of track record we should do all we can to make this powerful resource available to more and more communities."

The program allows law enforcement agencies to develop uniquely tailored Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) defining the terms of the partnership. The federal government reimburses the state and local agencies for the costs associated with training the designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions.

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