"We're not going out into the community and looking for illegal aliens - when they get here they've already committed local crimes," he said. ...With 287(g) there isn't racial profiling going on.

"They're (suspects of immigration violation) coming to our facility on criminal charges," he said. "Crime doesn't have a face or a color, so when they come in we take it from there."

The Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department will participate in a federal program that will provide more training in handling issues related to illegal aliens that also could be used in other cases.

Sheriff Kent Harris and Lt. George Berry met Tuesday with two representatives of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency from New Orleans. The sheriff’s department had inquired about taking part in a program in which it would be able to take illegal aliens to a federal holding facility.

The Macon County Sheriff's office is stepping up its role in immigration enforcement by partnering with Henderson County in an effort to speed the process of identifying illegal aliens.

Henderson County is one of seven in North Carolina participating in the newly formed 287(g) program. As part of the new cooperative effort, Henderson's sheriff's office can access federal immigration records. The county will also work with 17 western counties, including Macon, to assist in identifying and even detaining suspected illegals.

Las Vegas police today announced details of a partnership with federal immigration officials that is expected to begin in the next few weeks. Trained officers at the Clark County Detention Center will be allowed to start possible deportation proceedings for inmates who indicate they are foreign born.