Sheriff Jenkins supports the President’s recent move sending Troops to the border.
FREDERICK, MD. (LG) President Donald Trump is not alone in his push to “build a wall” to secure our borders. 380 Sheriff’s in 40 states, including Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, recently signed a letter on behalf of the National Sheriffs’ Association asking Congress to act on passing legislation to enforce immigration laws and tighten border security.
“If you think back over the years, all the back and forth conversations about how we are going to enforce immigration laws, do we need amnesty, do we need changes in laws, very honestly, no. We need to enforce the laws. More importantly, before we can do anything, is build a barrier, if you will, of the border. And that’s number one! That’s priority one,” said Jenkins.
In the letter, it stated that ‘without border security and immigration reform, more Americans will continue to be victims of crime’.
“You know honestly, my belief is that not one American should be a victim of a crime, or incident committed by somebody who isn’t a citizen, and until we secure our borders this is gonna continue. People lose their lives everyday. People are victims of crimes of violence, victims of traffic accidents, and it’s not necessary. It’s totally unnecessary,” continued Jenkins.
Trump signed a proclamation last week directing National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration. “I actually think that’s the right move right now. I’ve been there and witnessed for myself, the flow of people coming in from Central America, from Mexico, the criminal element that is embedded with these populations, the gang members, the drug cartels, the flow of heroin, so yes, it’s absolutely necessary, and I totally support President Trump,” Jenkins added.
In 2008 Sheriff Jenkins entered into a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Office to begin the 287(g) Criminal Alien Program within the Sheriff’s Office. “We are removing criminal aliens from this County. They are being placed into removal proceedings for deportation. It’s the criminal element. It’s people who are in this country illegally, and when they are arrested they will be placed into removal proceedings by ICE and they will leave this County. So, the program is going extremely well.”
The partnership allows trained personnel to identify and begin deportation proceedings against illegal aliens committing crimes within Frederick County.
“Through our 287(g) program, over the course of ten years, we have placed over 1400 criminal aliens in the deportation process, including more than 90 criminal gang members. Many of them were MS-13”.
The list of sheriffs who endorsed the letter covers not one but eight separate pages, making it clear that cops from across the entire nation are unified behind stronger border security.
The National Sheriffs’ Association is one of the largest law enforcement associations in the country, and is made up of over 20,000 members, and 3,000 of whom serve as sheriffs.
By Loretta Gaines