By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – The New Hanover County Sheriff's Department says so far checking immigration status at the county jail is running smoothly and turning up fewer illegal residents than expected.
A new North Carolina law requires a residency check for anyone booked on felony charges or driving while impaired.
So since mid-December, the person booking inmates at the New Hanover County jail has been running the names of those born outside the U.S. to see if they're legal residents. If not, and if the inmate fails to make bail, then the jail contacts Homeland Security for deportation.
Captain Lese Ruefel runs the jail. She says of the 70 inmates run through a background check, so far 15 of them came back as illegal. She says that number's surprisingly low.
I think the public has the expectations that more people will be departed than probably actually will be, because I surprised the number was that low to start with.
Civil liberties groups are reported to be worried that the law promotes racial profiling.
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