Immigration, Customs Enforcement holds summit for Mo. police

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although not a national hotbed for illegal immigration, Missouri is taking the lead in training local law officers from around the state on how to help federal immigration authorities.

The training includes tips for working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and information about specific programs, such as allowing local police to be deputized to enforce federal immigration law or helping identify illegal immigrants in county jails and state prisons.

A training seminar Thursday in the capital city was the third of nine regional sessions planned in Missouri. A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Missouri is the first state to hold multiple immigration training sessions for local law enforcement officers.

Tim O'Sullivan, the assistant special agent in charge for ICE's Chicago field office, said there was no particular reason that the training began in a Midwestern state with a relatively small illegal immigrant population.

"It had to start somewhere, and Missouri is as good of a place as any," O'Sullivan said.

The Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center estimates from U.S. Census data that 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants live in Missouri -- less than 1 percent of the 12 million people estimated to be in the United States illegally.

But illegal immigration has become a big political issue in state politics. More than a half-dozen elected officials have proposed, floated or filed measures designed to crackdown on illegal immigrants and those who employ them.

Earlier this week, five Catholic bishops criticized the tone of the debate in Missouri, accusing politicians of attempting to "vie to see who can be tougher on illegal immigrants."

Gov. Matt Blunt has proposed several of the ideas, including ordering the Missouri State Highway Patrol to check the immigration status of everyone it arrests and having the patrol send some troopers for training to enforce federal immigration laws.

"Although we welcome legal immigrants with an open heart, we reserve a firm hand for those who are here to break our laws," he said. Blunt has said the patrol has turned over to federal immigration authorities 138 illegal immigrants since it began checking immigration status last year.

Nationwide, more than 60 municipal, county and state police departments have requested the federal training. The Highway Patrol plans to send 25 troopers to be deputized this year.

Patrol Superintendent Col. James Keathley said the goal is to have the police trained by April. He said that would be a big help because there are often delays in waiting for immigration officials to arrive from Kansas City, St. Louis or Springfield.

Lawmakers for at least the last three sessions have considered bills that would explicitly allow that to happen, but none have passed.

A spokeswoman for Blunt says the authority to get the training instead comes from a separate bill approved in 2007 that among its provisions allows "employees of the patrol to carry out any public safety duty or service authorized or appropriated by the General Assembly."

Spokeswoman Jessica Robinson said among the governor's recommendations for next year's budget is $87,000 to pay for the immigration training. Blunt's overall budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, calls for more than a half-million dollars to pay for immigration enforcement.

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On the Net:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov