Hodgson Expresses Support For Trump’s 10-Point Plan

During a speech on Wednesday night Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump announced a ten-point plan to combat illegal immigration.

Included in the plan was the end of “catch and release”, or capturing illegal immigrants and then releasing them for a deportation hearing and the creation of a deportation task force and a greater focus on criminals in the country illegally.

Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson told WBSM's Barry Richard that he's fully supportive of these proposals and that they're about to begin participation in ICE's 287(g) Program which would have deputies trained by agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement so they can ensure that illegal immigrants who commit crimes aren't released back out onto the streets.

"They will basically be able to interview the individuals, find out the background and so forth," said Hodgson "under the current situation they're saying in 48 hours you have to let them go, because ICE may not be able to get there or what have you, we will have already started the process for ICE so that there's not going to be that loophole."

Hodgson also said he fully supports mandatory sentences for illegal immigrants who re-enter the country after having been deported.

"Believe me the word gets back fast, through the network of the cartels and so forth," said Hodgson "if they're going to get a mandatory sentence for re-entering, and they can't get out, they're not going to give it another shot."

For countries that don't want to take back deportees, Hodgson says there are steps the United States can take to ensure that they do.

"That's where you have to have sanctions for those countries and say 'if you don't repatriate your people and think that we're going to house these criminals that really have come from your country and snuck into ours, until you comply, we're going to start cutting your aid, we're going to start cutting certain things that you would be getting in the way of benefits," said Hodgson.

Trump's speech followed a visit earlier in the day with Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto.