No Room For Illegals?
But what goes unnoticed, happened Wednesday in Burke county.
"Must cut them loose and let them go."
An SUV full of illegal immigrants was stopped by Burke county sheriff's deputies but were turned loose when the feds said they couldn't hold them.
The head of the political action committee "Americans for Legal Immigration" says it happens all the time and all over the country.
"The illegals know that the federal government isn't enforcing our existing laws."
Mecklenburg county Sheriff Jim Pendergraph has one of the few law enforcement agencies in the country, and is able to check the legal status of those arrested and get them sent home.
In the past year, deportation proceedings have begun against more than 900 illegal immigrants, but Mecklenburg is an exception.
"Deputies found more than a dozen illegals, a manifest of names, drop-off spots, even cash paid."
Even when caught smuggling illegals red-handed, like this case also from Burke county three years ago, there's not much local authorities can do.
"It doesn't do much good when the federal government fails to do it job."
According to a Zogby Poll, 81 percent of people believe local and state police should help federal authorities enforce laws against illegal immigration.
"For its part, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it's not a matter of not doing its job.
Agents have to pick and choose the most serious offenders to detain.
With more than 11 million illegal immigrants now living in the US, federal officials say it's a question of prioritizing."
If we were to arrest every illegal in the U.S the country, we could never afford the jail space.
Critics say the answer lies in closing the border, but until that happens, don't look for this to stop.
Deputies even picked up nine more illegals here in this same spot Thursday morning, then let them go.
It's estimated nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants live in North Carolina.