Lamborn hopes "ICE" agents will help free up police, jail
Posted : Nov 21, 2009 10:08 PM
Updated: Nov 22, 2009 5:38 AM
After years of work it's finally been done. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE office will open up in Colorado Springs. "Their very presence in our community has a very chilling effect on a number of criminal activities." says El Paso County Commissioner Jim Bensberg.
Colorado Representative Doug Lamborn and proponents agree. They say the need for these agents is immediate as I-25 quickly becomes a hotbed of illegal activity. "With I-25 coming through town being a national corridor, we have unfortunately more in the way of illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug violations, document and currency fraud and we need these investigators." Lamborn explains.
For Lamborn and Bensberg the biggest effect of these agents may not even be illegal immigration. "They deal in terrorism, the deal in cyber crimes, child pornography. They deal in counterfeiting."says Bensberg. Their hope is that ICE can help with a variety of law enforcement duties. "It's going to take some of the pressure off of local law enforcement." Says Lamborn, "We have over crowding at our local county jail and I'm hopeful that this takes at least a little bit of the pressure off of that."
Lamborn tells News First 5 the facility should employ around a dozen employees. It's set to officially open at the Pueblo Bank and Trust building on Pikes Peak on November 30th.
