Davidson County, NC Introduces Illegal Immigrant Policy

LEXINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) - Instead of using the controversial 287-G program used in other counties to check the status of illegal immigrants, the Davidson County Sheriff's office is heading in an entirely different direction.

Sheriff David Grice is having his deputies check the status of possible illegal immigrants that are going to jail under a new program called, "Secure Communities".

Grice isn't sure how many illegal immigrants have currently been through his jail. He's not sure how often these new fingerprint checks will find someone federal agents will want to pick up.

"It's just another resource but I'm glad that we've got it," said Grice.

If a person is charged with a felony, according to the policy written by Grice, deputies will fingerprint but not check the federal database. If a person is charged with a misdemeanor, Grice said a database check will depend on how serious the misdemeanor is.

In an example given by Grice, if a suspect is caught with marijuana the drug will be seized and they'll be ticketed. If a suspect is caught with marijuana and impaired while operating a motor vehicle, the suspect will be arrested and a federal database check will be administered.

"We're not going to go out to communities rounding up people," said Grice. "It's just as we have contact with them as they violate the law."

Grice expects that this type of resource will be used in other counties across the Piedmont next year.