Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall says a year-old immigration enforcement program has identified nearly 3,000 illegal aliens for deportation.

The program – known as 287(g) – gives the sheriff authority to check immigration status of anyone arrested by Metro Police as they enter the city jail. Those ID’ed as illegal immigrants who’ve committed a crime are given notice to appear before a federal judge in Memphis.

Hall says the high volume of deportations is driving down the number of immigrants arrested on Nashville streets.

“At the time we started the program, about 10.2-percent of the people arrested were foreign-born arrests. Today that’s 9.5, which means that number is ticking downward of the number of people committing crime who are foreign-born.”

The 3,000 arrestees set for removal from the U-S is a stark contrast to before the local immigration enforcement began last April. In 2006, less than 150 illegal immigrants were sent from Metro to be deported.

Keep up the Good work.