Immigration: The Consequences of Enforcement

Interview: Garfield County Sheriff Deputy James Miller on gangs and immigration

In July, federal immigration authorities working together with local law enforcement swept up 30 residents in Garfield and Eagle counties. Authorities say they are illegal immigrants and, moreover, gang members. But evidence of local gang activity is sketchy, and authorities here haven't linked those arrested to specific crimes. Instead, they used information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigration status to target residents they believe might be involved with gangs.

Garfield County Sheriff Deputy James Miller, who heads the Threat Assessment Group, or TAG, says it's a simple way to clean up the streets. The technique was imported here from the mean streets of L.A. In an interview with KDNK's Marilyn Gleason, Deputy Miller said an informational meeting on gangs in Glenwood Springs tonight is in partly a response to interest stirred up by the arrests.