E News Courier reports: While Republican lawmakers believe a measured approved Thursday by the state Senate will curb illegal immigration, at least one law enforcement official sees trouble ahead.
Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said he understands the state has a problem with immigration, but Senate Bill 256 — sponsored by State Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale — could cause problems for his department. The bill cleared the Senate 26-6 and now goes to the House for consideration. The sheriff said the combination of increased man-hours and rising fuel costs associated with taking illegal immigrants from Limestone County to a federal detention facility in Atlanta could cripple the county financially. Despite his objections to the bill, he said his department would do what the law requires. “I understand and support immigration reform, but the bill in its present form is going to be an extreme burden to local governments and county jails,” Blakely said. “It’s going to mean us running a taxi service back and forth to Atlanta and an overcrowded jail.” The bill requires police to verify a person’s immigration status if they are stopped for a traffic offense and can’t produce any documents, such as a driver’s license or passport. Those suspected of being in the country illegally can be detained. Many opponents of the bill have expressed fears it would lead to racial profiling and harassment from police officers, but Blakely said that wasn’t a concern of his. “People talk about racial profiling, but I don’t get too excited about that,” he said. “A good police officer is going to profile. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said he understands the state has a problem with immigration, but Senate Bill 256 — sponsored by State Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale — could cause problems for his department. The bill cleared the Senate 26-6 and now goes to the House for consideration. The sheriff said the combination of increased man-hours and rising fuel costs associated with taking illegal immigrants from Limestone County to a federal detention facility in Atlanta could cripple the county financially. Despite his objections to the bill, he said his department would do what the law requires. “I understand and support immigration reform, but the bill in its present form is going to be an extreme burden to local governments and county jails,” Blakely said. “It’s going to mean us running a taxi service back and forth to Atlanta and an overcrowded jail.” The bill requires police to verify a person’s immigration status if they are stopped for a traffic offense and can’t produce any documents, such as a driver’s license or passport. Those suspected of being in the country illegally can be detained. Many opponents of the bill have expressed fears it would lead to racial profiling and harassment from police officers, but Blakely said that wasn’t a concern of his. “People talk about racial profiling, but I don’t get too excited about that,” he said. “A good police officer is going to profile. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
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