The police in north suburban Waukegan and Carpentersville have both applied for training to help initiate deportations. Now the Lake County sheriff’s office wants in. And some immigrant leaders are predicting dire consequences.

For some time now, the sheriff’s department has provided the federal government with lists of detainees who seem to lack authorization to be in the country.

Now the department has applied for six Lake County jailers to be certified to begin the deportation process. It says the officers will focus on sex offenders, violent criminals and serious drug offenders.

GUZMAN: That’s a bunch of baloney.

Waukegan labor leader José Guzmán says it’s wrong to flag immigrants for deportation before they’ve been convicted of a crime.

GUZMAN: The police have to do their job. Arrest and send them to the judge and let the judge decide what to do with those people. 

Guzmán predicts many Lake County immigrants will move to Wisconsin or Cook County.

The sheriff’s department says the training is at least a year off.

I’m Chip Mitchell, Chicago Public Radio.