Sheriff’s office says fighting illegal immigration risky

Carroll County (Map, News) - Illegal immigration needs to be fought by the federal government before counties get involved and leave themselves open to lawsuits, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office told commissioners Thursday.

“The attempt by the federal government to involve state and local governments is another attempt to pass the buck onto us and consequently, onto you,” said Maj. Nicholas Plazio, head of investigative services for the sheriff’s office.

The office’s presentation came about a week after Commissioner Michael Zimmer urged the county to form a task force to investigate the legal and economic ramifications of cutting off county services to adult illegal immigrants.

Zimmer has said the threat of lawsuits should not intimidate the county from doing what it thinks is best.

But Plazio said he is most worried about lawsuits brought by legals claiming invasion of privacy after being investigated as suspected illegals.

More than 600 illegal immigrants have been deported from Carroll since early 2000, when the sheriff’s office began working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the investigative branch of the Department of Homeland Security, said Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning.

The only way to catch them is if they allegedly commit a crime. Most are caught in traffic stops when they fail to produce a driver’s license, Tregoning said.

Plazio quoted a July 2007 report on illegal immigration from the International Association of Chiefs of Police: “When local police have waded into immigration enforcement, it has often come with disastrous and expensive consequences.”

Commissioner Julia Gouge said she opposes forming a task force to investigate illegal immigration because that should be left to the federal government.

“To say that we’re going to control the immigration issue is something that is totally, completely out of our jurisdiction,” Gouge said. “There are a lot of towns, a lot of states that are looking at this. There are a lot of them in court, too.”

Zimmer advised Carroll to watch Frederick County’s lead, as some officials there try to crack down by withholding building permits to businesses that hire illegals.

A Frederick commissioner attempted to cut off county services to illegals earlier this year, but voters rejected his proposal.

msilvestri@baltimoreexaminer.com

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