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 FORMER INS DETENTION GUARD PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUAL OFFENSE
Lemar Smith, a former INS detention officer, last week agreed to a plea bargain that allows him to avoid rape charges. Smith, who worked at the Krome Detention Center in Miami, was accused of raping a transsexual detainee, and pled guilty to having sex with the detainee. Along with up to two years in prison, Smith also faces possible disciplinary action from the INS.
Immigration advocates are not pleased with the deal. Cheryl Little, the executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, who has long been critical of conditions at Krome, noted that “If this crime had been committed by an immigrant who wasn't a U.S. citizen, INS would have already deported them.” She is also concerned that the plea bargain says to detention officers that they can abuse detainees without fear of serious repercussions.
Smith’s case was one of the most prominent and shocking of those resulting from federal investigation into corruption at Krome. A fleet dispatcher at Krome pled guilty to taking a ,000 bribe, and another detention officer resigned after being accused of theft and destruction of government property. Investigations into other employees are continuing.
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