NEWS RELEASE                                             

For Immediate Release
August 29, 2007
Contact: Catherine Rodriguez
Community Relations Coordinator
  (850) 651-7448

Northwest Florida Human Trafficking & Smuggling Task Force
Press Conference

The Sheriffs of Escambia, Santa Rosa , Okaloosa, and Walton Counties have agreed to form a joint task force to investigate Immigration Issues, Human Trafficking & Smuggling.  A press conference will be held today, August 29th, at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Administration building in Shalimar at 1:30.  Task force activities will include investigating organized criminal enterprises engaged in:

    1. Immigration felonies, such as alien smuggling
    2. Forced labor and worker exploitation
    3. Harboring Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain
    4. Visa and Immigration Fraud
    5. Labor Fraud
    6. Identification Document Fraud
    7. Commercial sexual exploitation of minors

The task force will consist of the Sheriff’s Offices in the Pensacola Division, Northern District of Florida. 

The task force will investigate criminal violations of state and federal law, and will refer federal violations to the appropriate federal agencies for prosecution.  Close cooperation with the US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Attorney’s Office will be essential for success of the task force. 

The Sheriffs are urging the Federal Government to post additional ICE agents in the region, to provide cross –certification training for jail and law enforcement personnel, and to increase detention space for aliens in Northwest Florida . For example, the Walton County Jail has offered to contract for detention spaces in the Walton County jail.

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