Steve Neavlingticklethewire.com
Immigrant advocacy groups are worried that an incentive program for U.S. Border Patrol agents is encouraging abuse of authority and false arrests, Buffalo News reports.
The program awards agents with cash, extra vacation time and gift cards.
The Buffalo News reported that a crackdown on illegal immigration has netted 277 arrests of people who were in the U.S. legally.
Pro-immigration groups are urging lawmakers to get involved.
But Border Patrol denies handing out incentives for arrests.
“No such practice of paid incentives and awards for specific human targets or enforcement actions has ever occurred within the Border Patrol, nor will it ever occur within the ranks of any [Customs and Border Protection] component,” the agency said in a statement to Buffalo News.
