TROY, N.Y. -- It is known as the Immigration and Nationality Act section 287g - a federal program championed by President Donald Trump that allows law enforcement to send officers for training on how to identify and deal with illegal immigrants inside the county jail.

Two of Rensselaer County's corrections officers will soon undergo the four-week training. Under the program, those two officers would be able to "interrogate any person detained ... who the officer believes is an alien about his or her right to be in the United States.

It goes on to read that the sheriff's office "must report all encounters with asserted or suspected US citizenship claims to the federal government."

"What it is doing is allowing us, when someone is sent to the jail for a crime, is to vet them in real time to see if Immigration wants them," said Sheriff Patrick Russo. "I signed on because it is a matter of public safety. Unfortunately, it has become a political issue and it's not really a political issue. It's a safety issue."

The program is not expected to cost the county any money. They would, in fact, be paid to house inmates being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and it would only apply to people who are being held at the county jail.

Those in opposition to the program say the public is on their side.

"There was a public forum after we submitted the resolution, and the outcry was unbelievable. The people who spoke were eloquent. They were outraged. They were passionate about urging the sheriff to please withdraw," said Cindy Doran, a member of the Rensselaer County Legislature.

Sheriff Russo is the first sheriff in New York to implement the program, something he says he was not aware of when he signed up.

"I think it's important because, as the sheriff of the county, it is my job to make the county as safe as I can in a fiscally responsible manner. If you can eliminate some criminals through this program, then it will be safer," said Russo.

"My concern is that there will be less trust in our community where documented and undocumented immingrants live. I'm concerned on a moral level," said Doran.

For more information, click https://www.ice.gov/287 or https://www.ice.gov/doclib/287gMOA/287g-RensselaerCounty.pdf.