http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/15651799.htm

Posted on Sun, Oct. 01, 2006

Police mostly hands-off in immigration issues

By JOSHUA NORMAN
jdnorman@sunherald.com

Across the country, some local law enforcement agencies have recently gotten involved in the deportation of undocumented immigrants as the national debate over immigration has heated up.

Mississippi is no exception, although recent interviews with Coast law enforcement and immigrant-advocacy groups showed that it is not widespread and not an easy issue.

In Gulfport in mid-August, police officers assisted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in the detention and eventual deportation of 37 undocumented immigrants at the Home Depot and Lowe's on U.S. 49 who were day laborers, according to several people with knowledge of the incident.

Gulfport Deputy Chief Alfred Sexton said the operation was planned, organized and largely executed by ICE.

"All we did was transport them from point A to point B," said Sexton, adding it is the normal level of involvement for Gulfport police when it comes to undocumented immigrants. "They (ICE) handle those. I can't take an immigrant that does not have proper paper work. They make the decisions. That's their jurisdiction."

Sgt. Jackie Rhodes, public information officer for the Biloxi Police Department, said police officers have the right to ask for proper identification as part of an investigation. Sometimes that means asking for a green card or work visa, too.

"If they don't have an American driver's license, we'll ask if they have a green card," said Rhodes, adding that if they turn out to be undocumented, ICE or border patrol does not necessarily get involved. "If it's a criminal act, yeah, we do (get ICE involved), every time. Usually if the person hasn't committed a crime, (ICE) or border patrol doesn't follow it up, they're so busy doing other stuff."

Although police do have the right to ask for someone's immigration status during any investigation, the danger of racial profiling is high because there are so many light-skinned and light-haired Latinos, said Andy Guerra, president of the Gulf Coast Latin American Association and a former law-enforcement officer himself.

"When these individuals are being stopped and asked for proper identification, license and insurance, some (police) are also saying, 'Let me see your immigration paperwork,' which is a violation of civil rights," Guerra said. "The state of Mississippi only requires two documents (to drive a car): proof of (insurance) and driver's license."

Otherwise, Guerra said, police ought to ask every person they stop for their proof of citizenship, regardless of their accent or skin color.

Bill Chandler, president of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, said if police start getting heavily involved in deportations, they risk having their own work impeded because immigrants will often not talk to police to report or admit witnessing crimes if they fear getting asked about their immigration status.

Chandler said there was an incident in Jackson County recently in which a shooting yielded no witnesses because those in the Latino community who witnessed it were afraid the police investigators would ask for their immigration papers.

"Trust is an issue," he said.