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Residents
across Dane County used the Immigrant Workers Union?s public information
hearing Monday evening to voice opinions about the deportations of dozens of
undocumented immigrants from the Dane County Jail over the past year.

When
a person is arrested and brought into the Dane County Jail, he or she goes
through a questioning process, which has included a controversial question
about citizenship status. Officers are not required by law to ask such a
question, according to the IWU.

Many
Dane County residents spoke out against Dane County Jail?s citizenship question
because it exposes those arrestees who are undocumented immigrants and can lead
to their deportation from the United States.

In
2002 and 2003, both the city of Madison and Dane County passed ordinances to
restrict police officers from inquiring about migratory status and
collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when not subjected to
legal obligations.

?In addition to
consulate notification, ICE has requested that Dane County notify them after
the individual has been arrested,? Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said.
?During that process, our personnel send an e-mail to ICE notifying them that
the individual has been arrested or charged.?

In
2007, Dane County had 18,000 bookings, of which 286 arrestees indicated during
the booking process their citizenship status. Sixty-one of those arrestees were
placed under the jurisdiction of ICE, according to Mahoney.

?This is creating such a
fear factor in our community, and I am telling you it is impacting our
communities negatively,? Madison resident Kabzuag Vaj said. ?I think this
relationship between the local government and ICE needs to stop because it is
creating racial profiling in our communities.?

Numerous
citizens testified yesterday, and the majority criticized the Dane County Jail
for its involvement with ICE.

?If someone wants to
live in Dane County and is a contributing member of society, deportation should
be the last resort,? said Steve Brooks of Mount Horeb.

Madison
resident David Unger said the questioning is unfair.

?The minute the police
take the step of asking that extra question is when things blow up,? Unger
said. ?The minute that question gets asked, we are talking about immediate
deportation, and one department cannot make that decision.?

While
most residents indicated they did not favor Dane County Jail?s policy of
reporting illegal immigrants to ICE, others said the jail was just doing its
job.

?These people are
violating the law,? said David Lunde of Brooklyn. ?The sheriff does not stop
them because of their race; he stops them because they violate the law.?

Stoughton
resident Cheryl Learn echoed Lunde’s sentiments.

?The sheriff?s office is
charged with upholding the law,? Learn said. ?We have laws, and we all must
live by them. If you want to be in this country, you have to realize you are
part of something larger than the local community.?

Mahoney
said as a law enforcement agent he is obligated to uphold the law by reporting
illegal immigrants to ICE.

?I believe all law
enforcement agencies have an obligation to work together,? he said.
?Irrespective of personal beliefs, it is good public policy that law
enforcement work together.?