CHARLOTTE, NC - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office announced today that nearly 1,000 criminal aliens had been identified and charged with immigration violations thanks to a partnership between the agencies. One hundred and twenty eight of those identified have already been deported.

U.S. Representative Sue Myrick (NC-9) praised the early success of the program: “This new program changes how North Carolina responds to illegal aliens. This program provides us with some much-needed back up and real results.”

"The mission of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office is to protect the citizens of Mecklenburg County," says Sheriff Jim Pendergraph. "I take those words very seriously. The 287(g) program is just another way to successfully remove from our country illegal aliens who prey on our citizens and commit crimes in our community."

“The ultimate goal of partnership is to improve public safety and homeland security, and the efforts here in Mecklenburg County are an example of how effective we can be when we work together,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. “Our message to those individuals who think they can break our immigration laws and prey upon our communities is simple: You are mistaken. Together, we will find you and deport you.”

Among those identified and charged were Johnathan Saguilan-Aguirres of Mexico, Jean Claude Casimir of Guyana, and Adrian Sanchez-Morales of Mexico.

• Saguilan-Aguirres, 20, has a criminal history that includes breaking and entering, felony larceny and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was deported on August 14.
  
• Casimir, 46, has a criminal history that includes weapons charges and multiple drug charges. He is currently serving a sentence in a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility. He will have his immigration case heard before an immigration judge and, if ordered deported, be removed from the U.S. following completion of his sentence.
  
• Sanchez-Morales, 22, has a criminal history that includes possession of amphetamines/PCP, no operator's license and bringing in and/or harboring illegal aliens. He was deported on August 8.

The partnership between ICE and MCSO began in February, when the agencies announced that they had reached an agreement for ICE to train and certify selected MCSO personnel to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions. On April 6, upon completion of an intensive four-week program, MCSO deputies began operating within the Mecklenburg County Jail facilities to interview foreign national inmates to determine whether there is probable cause for an immigration violation; complete the processing for criminal aliens, including fingerprinting; prepare documentation to place aliens in deportation proceedings concurrent with their prison term; and prepare documentation to deport aliens following their terms.

This voluntary initiative is known as “287g,” named for the Section 287(g) of the "Immigration and Nationality Act" which authorizes state and local law enforcement agencies to work with ICE to identify and detain immigration offenders. Currently, Mecklenburg County is the only fully operational 287(g) program in North Carolina. Similar programs are in place in Alabama, Florida, Arizona and California.

-- ICE --