Carter introduces bill to increase cooperation between ICE, local law enforcement

U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) recently introduced a bill that aims to strengthen immigration enforcement by targeting undocumented migrants who have a criminal record and bringing them into law enforcement custody.

The bill, titled the Assuring Law Enforcement Requests are Timely Evaluated by DHS (ALERTED) Act, would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to quickly respond to local law enforcement inquiries regarding suspected undocumented migrants in their custody for a violation of any law.

Current law stipulates that ICE only responds to inquiries when the suspected undocumented migrant is arrested for possession or distribution of a controlled substance.

The ALERTED Act specifically calls for ensuring that law enforcement officers on the state and local level receive prompt replies from ICE in their inquiries, and guaranteeing a response to detainer inquiries for suspected undocumented migrants that have been arrested for any criminal offense. It also seeks to assist jurisdictions that want to enforce current immigration laws by clarifying their authority to contact ICE regarding suspected undocumented migrants in their custody.

The bill will also seek to increase interagency communications and hold ICE accountable should they not issue a detainer for an undocumented migrant after receiving an inquiry from law enforcement officials.

“This legislation is critical to ensure jurisdictions that want to enforce our immigration laws are able to by clarifying their authority to contact ICE about a suspected illegal alien in their custody,” Carter said.

According to a study from the Center for Immigration Studies, from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2014, more than 8,000 undocumented migrants with criminal backgrounds were released back into their local cities with sanctuary status. In total, 1,900 of those individuals went on to be re-arrested more than 4,000 times.