http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs ... 007/NEWS03

Article published Aug 7, 2006
More troopers will be trained to arrest illegal immigrants

By Jason Morton
Staff Writer
TUSCALOOSA | The Alabama Department of Public Safety wants 70 state troopers trained to arrest illegal immigrants by the end of the year.

But allowing state law enforcement agents to do the work of the federal government has some minority advocacy groups questioning whether this kind of enforcement can be done without racial profiling.

Gov. Bob Riley’s office said last month it was increasing the number of Alabama state troopers designated as immigration law enforcers.

Alabama first began using the troopers this way in 2003, the year it signed an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use state troopers as immigration agents.

Since then, 44 troopers have been certified to arrest illegal immigrants. Plans are for another 26 to be trained by the end of the year.

“Alabama has been at the forefront of a growing national effort to combat illegal immigration," Riley said in the news release announcing the additional trooper training. “Border security and immigration enforcement are federal responsibilities, but the state has an obligation to protect its citizens."

As part of the agreement, ICE will pay for the troopers’ training, while the state pays their salaries. The exact cost of the program is not clear; spokespeople for Riley’s office and the Alabama State Troopers could not be reached on Friday.

But a group representing the largest immigrant group in the state is worried about what the program might involve.

Isabel Rubio, director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, a nonprofit group based in Birmingham, said that while the organization supports comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level, it wonders why state agents are performing the jobs of U.S. immigration officials.

“We really don’t need to put state troopers in charge of protecting federal immigration laws," Rubio said. “It takes away from their job, and it’s real unfortunate for them to use their limited resources to do a job that is charged at the federal level."

She also wonders how the troopers will identify who to target.

“If you’re empowering people to enforce federal immigration law, you’re going to be looking for people who would appear to be immigrants," Rubio said. “I ask myself how do you do this without racial profiling."

Temple Black, a spokesman for the ICE office that oversees five states in the Southeast, said he didn’t think racial profiling would be an issue.

“All law enforcement [agents] are given training on what the rules of engagement are, and police departments don’t intentionally, ever, racially profile," Black said. “I don’t think the racial profiling issue comes into play."

Black also made no mention of complaints of racial profiling in cases that the Alabama State Troopers who have already undergone immigration training have made so far.

Since signing the ICE agreement, state troopers have instigated or made arrests relating to identity theft, fraudulent documents, visa fraud, Social Security fraud, possession of marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon, rape and immigration violations, Black said.

Because driver’s licenses are administered through the state Department of Public Safety, 27 illegal immigrants have been convicted on federal charges of attempting to obtain an Alabama drivers license by fraudulent means, and 13 others were convicted of state charges that include narcotics violations and possession of forged instruments.

Still, Rubio encouraged anyone who feels they were unfairly targeted to contact the Hispanic agency toll free at 866-265-4422.

“We’re certainly working to collect information from people who feel like that’s happened to them," she said.

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.