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THP Wants Immigration Database Access NewsChannel5.com They want to gain access to the same federal database to investigate undocumented immigrants who are perpetrators of other crimes. Wednesday, the THP got approval from some state senators on the plan. "There has been a constitutional debate about whether it's appropriate for state law enforcement officials to detain and question, let alone arrest," Senator Mike Norris (R - Collierville) said. That debate decreased as the THP and Homeland Security began working out how they could access the same federal database as the Davidson County Sheriff's Department. It lets officers identify, process, and detain criminal undocumented immigrants. "Sometimes it may take days to get an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent to us because they don't have the staff," Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker said. The plan is to train two troopers in each of their eight districts on how to run the federal database. A person who is pulled over for a traffic infringement would not be deported, but an undocumented immigrant who is found to have committed a felony could be deported. "We are not going to profile. We are not going out to search for people. That's not our mission," Walker said. The THP's mission is to make the highways safe. While undocumented immigrants continue to cross the border and into Tennessee, Colonel Walker insisted detaining them will never become THP's top priority. It will be several months before the THP learns if they'll be able to access the federal database program. Davidson County Deputies will be ready to enforce the federal immigration laws in May. |
