Gov. Patrick Morrisey made further moves on West Virginia’s role in an immigration sweep, preparing to join a federal program to expedite deportations.
“The federal government just can’t do it alone, and West Virginia stands ready to help in any way we can,” Morrisey said.
Morrisey, in a briefing with West Virginia reporters, emphasized the importance of addressing illegal immigration, relating that to the the impact of fentanyl on West Virginia.
Morrisey last week described the state’s efforts to identify 72 identified illegal immigrants, with 62 currently in West Virginia. Ten, he said, have been transferred out of state, Kentucky. The governor acknowledged that number would shift as the situation changes over time.
Today, the governor continued his direction for state law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
Morrisey said West Virginia would move to take part in the federal 287(g) program that delegates immigration enforcement functions to state correctional officers.
“One question that always comes to me is that, ‘If we have all these illegal immigrants and they’ve been arrested and sitting in prison, why can’t we just deport them?'” Morrisey said.
The governor said that’s a good question. Typically, he said, a federal agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be present at the corrections facility to initiative an inmate transfer. That then allows for deportation.
“We’re trying to go in a different direction,” Morrisey said. “We want to use a more efficient program.”
Morrisey said the 287(g) program will allow delegation to state correctional officers the ability to perform specific immigration enforcement functions.
“This is going to allow a state correctional officer, if needed, to transport criminal aliens into federal custody without the supervision of an ICE agent,” he said.
He continued, “West Virginia has never applied for this program until now.”