Immigration Issue Hits Chattanooga

It's hot button issue that has law makers in Tennessee considering adopting legislation similar to the one that has people up in arms in Arizona.  Here in Hamilton County, a new system at the jail is cutting out the guesswork out of trying to determine who's legal and who's not.  It connects every inmate's information to a national database.

Chattanooga is one of the first cities to get the Safe Communities System.  It automatically and electronically sends every inmates fingerprints to federal agencies.  If a red flag goes up that a person is here illegally, immediate action is taken.

Everyone who walks into the Hamilton County Jail in handcuffs will now be walking through a new system, to make sure they're living here legally.  Captina John Swope explains, "The thing is everyone who comes to jail is finger printed, everyone has a set of prints submitted on them, so no one falls through the cracks."

Captain Swope says that they used to rely on inmate's self reported information, but 3 weeks ago, they got new technology, that double check's every prisoner's citizen status before they're even locked up.  "If the border patrol has had dealings with them, or Vice has had dealings with them, or if they've been deported."

Every inmate that comes in first has to get a mug shot taken, then has to get their fingerprints made and those prints is sent automatically to federal officials.

Immigration Customs Enforcement Field Officer Director Philip Miller explained to us by phone that prints are passed on to the FBI and DHS, and give a better picture of each person's criminal and immigration history.  If a red flag goes up, the cell door locally stays locked.  Miller says, "It identifies the person's derrogatory immigration history, whether that person was arrested on the border, deportation by ICE."

And local officials say it makes their job easier, since they no longer have to guess whose background or citizenship needs a check.  Captina Swope says, "Or everyone is treated the same?  Everyone is treated the same, from the public drunk to the capitol murderer, everyone gets fingerprinted, every fingerprint gets submitted."

Parts of Arizona's controversial law, SB 10-70, take effect Thursday, including a measure making it illegal to hire employees that are illegal immigrants.

The state will appeal the other portions of the bill that were blocked by a federal judge.