UndocuBus - No Papers, No Fear

Originally published at WBTV

Two questions determine the destiny of Mecklenburg County jail inmates.

Sheriff Chipp Bailey explained to WBTV Friday, "There are two (questions) that ask if they are born in the United States, or if they are citizens of the United States?"

Bailey says an answer of "no" means the federal government will then step in.

"If they are found to be in the country undocumented - we're gonna contact Immigration Customs Enforcement."

WBTV also spent part of the day Friday with a group headed to Charlotte for the DNC on the "Undocu-Bus"...their slogan? "No papers, no fear".  They're coming to Uptown to weigh in on the immigration debate. You can read their story here.

The question is, what will the Undocu-Bus protesters face when they reach Charlotte?

Charlotte Attorney Christopher Connelly has handled clients in similar situations.

"The law is applied uniformly for better or worse, "he said. "If they're arrested, they will be screened, and if they're here illegally they do risk getting an ice hold on them."

Eventually they could be deported under the controversial 287(g) program.

"I really hope when they get into town that they talk to some of the local activists who know me and how we operate this program," Bailey said.

He believes his office is just a broker of information. "The sheriff's office does not deport people. We merely report them to ICE, and ICE follows their criteria for what to do," Bailey said.

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