Quote of the day: 287(g)

“If we continue to trend this way… clearly our resources in the Sheriff’s Office could be better used in areas like mental health,” Hall said. “That’s what we would hope, which would be able to focus in a direct way in other areas.”

--Davidson County (Nashville, TN) Sheriff Daron Hall

It is in reference to the fact that Nashville is seeing fewer deportations through the 287(g) program.  As with the estimated leveling off of the undocumented immigrant population in the United States, it is due to a combination of recession and enforcement, in addition to the fact that the Hispanic population in Tennessee (and the rest of the South) could not keep growing as fast as it was, so the high rates were never sustainable.

His point raises an interesting policy angle, namely that opponents of 287(g) could reasonable argue for termination of the program once deportations dropped to a certain level.  You could even include sunset provisions in the legislation.