JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- An Action News investigation exposed illegal aliens living and working in our community. They agreed to share the story if we hid their identities.
"We only came here to work and try and have a better life," said an illegal alien working in construction in St. Johns County.
His hope for a better life is costing many Americans their jobs. They'll work for less money, which is putting local construction workers in a tough position. But law enforcement says there's little they can do about it.
"Basically we're looking for individuals who are threats to this community," says Claude Colvin, an intelligence lieutenant with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Colvin is part of a partnership between JSO and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency or ICE. The partnership is called 287-G. It gives JSO the power to question immigration status only if the person has been arrested for a crime. But if an illegal alien doesn't commit a crime, there's nothing local officers can do.
Under the 287-G program, more than 5,000 people have been questioned in Jacksonville. Of those, 900 were found to be here illegally and were turned over to ICE. If they're convicted of a crime, those illegals must serve time in the U.S. Then a federal judge decides whether or not to deport them. But some state lawmakers say this process isn't solving the illegal immigration problem. They want to take things a step further in Florida by creating an Arizona-style immigration law.
Governor Rick Scott campaigned on a promise to bring the law here. The controversial law allows local law enforcement to question the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. Illegal aliens in our community told Action News they are fearful of the law.
"It's really bad they want to bring that law here. We Hispanics are very hardworking."
But two state legislators have already introduced bills similar to the Arizona law. For now, local law enforcement can't do anything about illegal aliens in our community -- taking American jobs -- unless they commit a crime.
