States arresting immigrants under federal training program

Dozens of police agencies taking advantage of plan

FRUITA, Colo. - State Patrol trooper Mike Jamison keeps an action figure of "The Thing" on his passenger seat - a nod to the Fantastic Four, which is what Jamison and three colleagues charged with enforcing immigration law on western Colorado's highways call themselves.

His car also has a DVD burner that documents every traffic stop he makes to provide evidence for potential immigration prosecutions - and catch any racial profiling.

"If I'm doing something wrong, and not doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I'm going to get caught," Jamison said on a recent ride-along on Interstate 70, a pipeline for immigrant smuggling from the West to Denver and cities farther east.

Colorado's state patrol is among dozens of police agencies nationwide taking advantage of a federal training program to identify and detain suspected illegal immigrants. Since the program began in 2006, these agencies have made more than 68,000 arrests for immigration-related violations, says Carl Rusnok of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE has trained about 800 officers in 18 states to prepare charging documents and issue immigration detainers. Eighty training requests are pending from police departments, state patrols, sheriff's offices and corrections departments.

Colorado created its state patrol unit during a 2006 special legislative session that was sparked by the arrests of more than 100 suspected illegal immigrants in crashes and traffic stops in a two-day period.

The unit has arrested 930 suspected illegal immigrants since it became operational in July 2007, ICE says. Colorado troopers also investigated 40 human smuggling cases that went to court, the state patrol says.

Other states with ICE agreements include California, Georgia, and Florida.

Arizona has seven participating agencies, North Carolina eight, and Virginia has the most with nine.

Since January 2006, Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Department leads in arrests with 15,000.

Generally, those detained go before an immigration judge for a decision on whether they should be deported, ICE spokesman Tim Counts said.

ICE has budgeted $42 million in fiscal year 2008 for the training, up from $5 million in 2006. The program includes immigration law, the use of Homeland Security databases to identify illegal immigrants, and Spanish lessons.

After weeks of training, 22 Colorado troopers were stationed in areas where ICE says human trafficking abounds.

The troopers only can stop vehicles for traffic reasons. "I've seen suspected loads [of illegal immigrants] on the highway and if I don't see a reason to stop them, I have to let them go," Jamison said.

In central Colorado, El Paso County sheriff's deputies who have taken ICE training are stationed at the county jail to help expedite removal of illegal immigrants from the crowded facility, said Sheriff Terry Maketa.

They have arrested 140 people for immigration violations.

Some police agencies balk at taking on what they consider a federal responsibility.