Suffern immigration enforcement plan gets support in new Web site

SUFFERN -Supporters of a controversial proposal to partner with federal immigration enforcement authorities have launched a Web site for information and advocacy.

Lisa Clifford, a longtime Suffern resident and the webmaster of www.support287g.com, said she started the site to provide information about the plan and its benefits.

Clifford said she couldn't understand why people in the community would oppose the village's application to partner with federal immigration enforcement.

"As you start to speak to people, you know, a lot of people are saying the same thing. It doesn't make any sense," she said yesterday, adding she has received hundreds of e-mails since she launched the site on Friday.

Suffern is among the first municipalities in the state to signal its intention to join 287(g), a federal program that lets U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement partner with local law enforcement. Under the accord, local officers are trained to identify criminals who are undocumented, detain them on immigration charges and initiate deportation proceedings.

Critics of the proposal say the village doesn't have a high violent-crime rate and that the proposal isn't warranted. Suffern officials say they are being proactive.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News.