Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins will travel to Washington D.C. this week to meet with White House officials on illegal immigration matters, and to urge Congress to act on pending legislation to increase border security.
On Wednesday morning, Sheriff Chaffins will join 44 other sheriffs from across the country as a united group of elected law enforcement officers at a media event on Capitol Hill. Joined by select members of Congress, this group of sheriffs will share their experiences and public safety challenges associated with illegal aliens, and call on Congress to act on legislation to increase border security and reform the immigration system.
“The purpose of this visit it to express the urgency of Congress passing legislation on the security aspects of immigration reform and border security,” Sheriff Chaffins said. “Grayson County law enforcement and its citizens know all too well the negative impact drugs like heroin have on our community. We also know that the majority of heroin that infiltrates our county comes from across the border.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the sheriffs will participate in a roundtable discussion at the White House with administration officials and policymakers.
Hosted by the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, the roundtable will focus on immigration, border security and efforts by some elected officials to prevent the critical collaboration of local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. These partnerships maximize law enforcement’s potential to identify criminals in communities and remove them from neighborhoods.
“Fighting the heroin epidemic in Grayson County and across our state is like applying a tourniquet below a wound — We may catch some blood from spilling out, but we cannot stop the bleeding,” Sheriff Chaffins explained. “We must slow or stop the bleeding at our borders to have any significant impact on our efforts here in Grayson County. It is our intention to tell Congress that their inability to act has made our communities less safe and undermined the promise we made to the citizens that elected us to this office to keep them safe.”
During the visit to the White House, the sheriffs will discuss the challenges they face as a result of the ongoing Congressional stalemate, strategies to more easily identify illegal criminal aliens, and explore ways to expand and protect our valuable and critically important relationships with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.
“Kentucky has seen hundreds and hundreds of cases of human and sex trafficking in our Commonwealth with many of those being prosecuted in the courts,” Sheriff Chaffins stated. “It is just a matter of time before those cases come before our courts here in GC. The people of Grayson County elected me as their sheriff (and) I see this as a great opportunity to join with other sheriff’s from across this great nation to be proactive and to push Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform and border security so that I can fulfill my promise to the very people that elected me to the Office of the Grayson County Sheriff.”
Sheriff Chaffins’ Washington D.C. itinerary
Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. – Press conference on Capital Hill to discuss the dangers criminal illegal aliens bring to our communities, and urge Congress to act on much-needed reforms.
Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. – Roundtable discussion at White House on immigration, border security and safe communities.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
