Immigration a Hot Topic for Grassroots America

TYLER – Grassroots America – We The People met Friday, discussing everything from the Trump agenda to fixing illegal immigration. KETK reports Grassroots America’s Executive Director, JoAnn Fleming and Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith were the speakers. They say the country now only follows laws it wants to. Fleming said, “The problem that we are seeing with chaos and unrest has to do with how our government, how our culture how our society believe its okay to pick and choose the laws that you’re going to…obey.”

Fleming says President Trump’s renewal of the 287 (g) immigration program, which will allow local law enforcement to perform functions of federal immigration agents, is a solution to a problem that is much needed. Fleming said, “I believe we are headed in the right direction. We’ve had in our country for a period of time — and it didn’t start with the Obama Administration, but it did escalate during the Obama Administration — a time that people would pick and choose what laws they were going to enforce, particularly those that applied to immigration.”

Smith said immigration detention has become an issue in Smith County and Trump’s renewal of the 287 (g) program could be a big benefit. Smith said, “the big portion of it is you get two fingerprint machines that go into the ICE system. There’s so many times that we get illegal immigrants that come in and we don’t even have their real name. Fingerprints don’t lie.” Smith also agrees with Fleming that it’s time to make a change. Smith said, “Things are turning around, and I believe everyone needs to get united behind this current president, and I think he will take us places we haven’t seen since Ronald Reagan.”