The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23. Police officers, representatives from the boards of supervisors and sheriffs from Sioux City, Spencer, Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, and Waterloo will be invited to participate in a meeting with federal justice and immigration officials.
Grassley said this is the first such project in the country that would allow local police to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). "The project will enable the INS to enlist the support of local officials and make good use of state and local facilities," Grassley said. "It's a common sense response to help us address the problems of illegal immigration."
The program - known as section 133 - was created by a Grassley amendment to the 1996 immigration reform law. Without the Grassley amendment, local police do not have authority to arrest or detain an individual based only on the fact that the person is in the U.S. illegally. The Grassley amendment recognized the need for more local law enforcement involvement.
Grassley has petitioned the Justice Department to implement section 133 provision since passage three years ago. Through correspondence and meetings in Washington, Grassley has repeatedly questioned the Justice Department's failure to initiate these voluntary partnerships. Last fall, Grassley invited testimony on the matter from the Marshalltown Police Chief, Lon Walker, before a congressional committee overseeing the INS. Grassley finally received word from administration officials that they are interested in starting a pilot project in Iowa.
Grassley is a member of the Senate subcommittee on immigration and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee.