Anti-ICE legislation introduced on Hill

Legislation introduced in Congress on Dec. 15 would shut down Prince William's 287(g) immigration program and instead emphasize security at the nation's borders, according to the communications director for the bill's sponsor, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas.

"It's my understanding that would be done away with," said Jose Borjon, referring to 287(g) programs that train local law officials to work with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to start deportation proceedings against illegal aliens who commit crimes. "There would be a new implementation in place to train new border patrol agents" and boost security at select locations nationwide.

The bill -- H.R. 4321, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, or CIR ASAP Act -- is being touted by various sources as sponsored by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. Gutierrez's own Web site, for example, credits the Chicago representative as bringing forth this bill for House consideration.

But the Library of Congress official legislative Web site cites Ortiz as the actual sponsor, and Borjon said the discrepancy comes by way of etiquette.

"Gutierrez is the person behind immigration reform," Borjon said. "The only thing is, Ortiz is listed as the sponsor. That's because … Gutierrez asked Ortiz out of respect [for leadership, seniority] to carry the bill in the House."

Officially, Gutierrez is a bill co-sponsor. Press spokespeople from his office could not be reached Monday for com-ment.

Borjon also said another benefit of Ortiz's sponsorship was his reputation for bipartisanship.

But as of Monday, the bill's list of 92 cosponsors contained only Democrat names who hailed from the Congressional Progressive, Hispanic and Black caucuses.

"We would hope Republicans would join us in this effort," he said. "Right now, the tension in Washington is high … but we'll just wait and see what happens."

In addition to replacing 287(g) agreements with boosted security presence at U.S. borders, the bill would also establish a new Immigration Detention Commission consisting of ICE experts, as well as officials with Customs and Border Protection, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Division of Immigration Health Services and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Other nongovernmental officials would round out the commission, and members would be tasked with conducting "independent investigations" of "detention facilities, short-term detention facilities and the De-partment of Homeland Security," according to Section 155 of the bill, and check for compliance with specific port and visa rules. The commission would report its findings directly to select congressional committees every two years, states the bill.

"The federal government just needs to get off its [butt] and start enforcing law," said Corey Stewart, chairman of the Board of County Supervisors, in response to the proposed commission. "There have been enough committees … and the Obama administration seems to care more about how local law enforcement deals with illegal immigration than enforcing the law."

Other snapshots of the bill: Section 131 prohibits the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from assisting in "federal, state and local and civilian law enforcement of immigration laws," except when the president declares an emergency.

Section 144 establishes a Southern Border Security Task Force to coordinate the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement officials who battle drug trafficking, kidnapping and violent border crimes.

And Section 447 sets up a quasi-whistleblower protection system for those detained by law enforcement authorities. The newly established position of "Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman … [would] develop procedures for detainees or their representatives to submit confidential written complaints directly to the ombuds-man."

H.R. 4321 currently sits in several committees for congressional review. On Dec. 15, it was referred to committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Natural Resources, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform and House Administration, according to records from the Library of Congress.

Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-670-1907.