I would have put "Muslim Occupied City fighting law enforcement on the subject line if it would have fit! This city used to traditionally be populated by Polish Catholics. It was the place you went to buy fresh Paczki (poonch-key) for Fat Tuesday (the last pig out before Lent). Even if you weren't Catholic you'd look forward to Paczki day.

You may also remember Hamtramck as the first city to allow the MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER to be broadcast in the streets. The Muslims have taken over the city and complained about the church bells playing. They demanded the Muslim call to prayer be allowed to be broadcasted there and they got their way! Hamtramck is a suburb of Detroit in close proximity to Dearborn. If there was ever a place that terrorists would congregate it would be in this area!!!

Friday, September 07, 2007


Velvet S. McNeil / The Detroit News

Dr. Abdul Algazali of the Hamtramck City Council is pushing an ordinance that would restrain police investigations of immigrants.

Immigration issue heats up in Hamtramck

City wants to forbid police from questioning status

Jonnelle Marte / The Detroit News


Hamtramck, a diverse town where 26 languages are spoken at its schools, has drawn national attention before on immigration issues.
Velvet S. McNeil / The Detroit News

Ahmed Ismail, left, Yagoub Alhadai, Hamaza Nusser talk with City Council members Robert Zwolak and Dr. Abdul Algazali about the proposed law. Ismail says he's been stopped by police and asked to prove his citizenship. "It's not fair,"says Ismail, a U.S. citizen.

HAMTRAMCK -- Michigan's most diverse city is wading into the emotional national debate about what role local police should play in enforcing federal immigration laws.

As Congress mulls what to do with those illegally in the country, Hamtramck officials are preparing an ordinance to forbid police and other city officials from asking anyone about their immigration status unless it's relevant to investigations or during arrest bookings.

Supporters say Hamtramck, which is so diverse 26 languages are spoken in its schools, is no stranger to culture clashes and the law would provide a safeguard for immigrants wary about cooperating with police if they fear deportation or harassment.

"We don't want (local public officials) to go beyond their call of duty to carry out responsibilities of federal immigration officials," said Anthony Mosko, of the Detroit faith-based organization Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength. "There's no way to know that just by looking at somebody if they are documented or undocumented."

Such logic outrages foes who say police are sworn to enforce all laws. The proposal, which council members could consider next month, is modeled after an ordinance Detroit adopted in May and is similar to ones in Los Angeles and Chicago. But it goes against a national trend of municipalities teaming with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow cops to identify and report undocumented residents.

"If a police officer snatches someone who is an immigrant from the Mideast or some country that we have known terrorists coming from and they have no papers or documentation, (they) should ascertain who this person is and if they are here legally," said Fred Timpner, director of the Michigan Association of Police.

It's an issue that has resonance in Metro Detroit, where the number of foreign-born residents has spiked 60,000 to 387,000 in the past six years, according to federal statistics.

Ahmed Ismail, 17, was born a U.S. citizen and has lived in Hamtramck all his life with his parents who emigrated from Yemen. But still, he said he's been stopped by police and asked to prove his citizenship.

"It's not fair," said the senior at Frontier International Academy, a charter school in Hamtramck.

A 42-year-old shop owner from Palestine, who asked not to be named, said he is reluctant to approach Hamtramck police after they gave him no assistance last year when he reported his U.S. passport stolen.

"They try to put you down It's like they're dealing with animals," he said. "A citizen, when they come to the police, should feel safe, not like they're hassling the police."

The debate follows occasional incidents in Hamtramck, a 2.2 square-mile city of 23,000 residents that is surrounded by Detroit and is an historic destination for new immigrants.

In 2004, the city was thrust into the national spotlight when the City Council initially refused a mosque's request to broadcast a call-to-prayer before repealing a noise ordinance that forbid it. The city was sued after a 1999 election on allegations officials prevented 40 voters of Arab and Bengali descent from voting.

"Due to the history of that situation happening in Hamtramck, it's good to have such an ordinance on the books," said Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations that supports the measure.

Council members may review the immigration ordinance for months before a vote, said Councilman Robert Zwolak who is sponsoring it. Hamtramck's city attorney is drafting an ordinance based on one approved in Detroit that prohibits profiling, but also forbids inquiring about immigration status unless people are suspects for "criminal offenses" or police are assisting federal immigration officers.

Councilman Abdul Algazali, who is a chiropractor, said the ordinance would not only improve police relations but help welcome foreign-born residents. "We want to be immigrant friendly."

Police Chief James Doyle said officers aren't harassing anyone. He's refusing comment until he sees the proposal, but said anything to "encourage people to work with police (is) positive."

Sometimes, that's an issue for immigrants. And opponents say the proposal would complement due process laws that forbid police from asking questions irrelevant to investigations.

Essam Alsaidi, a Yemeni owner of an electronics shop on Caniff, said police didn't ask about his immigration status when he reported a break-in two months ago, but offered little help.

"They speak to you real tough," he said. "I almost said, 'OK, I did it.' I didn't know what I did wrong."

Rakia Quazi, a Bangladeshi who has lived in Hamtramck for 11 years, said people are sometimes nervous about approaching police, but she said she has never been unfairly drilled about her immigration status.

Zwolak said his neighbors saw a house broken into recently but were afraid to report it to police. He is pushing the measure with Algazali.

"We want to make our immigrants here feel more at ease and more free to acknowledge crime," said Zwolak.

The move comes, however, as communities throughout the United States are beefing up laws to allow local police to enforce immigration laws.

Authorities in Prince William County in Virginia agreed in July to enter a deal with the Department of Homeland Security to allow police to enforce immigration. More than 60 state and local police agencies around the country have also signed up to have their officers trained. More than 22,000 immigrants have been identified for possible deportation through the program.

Councilman Alan Shulgon cast the lone opposing vote last month to researching the Hamtramck law.

"Why do we keep expanding on the rights of people when the laws are already spelled out?" he said. "If (police) come into an investigation and they do find that somebody is breaking the law then they should take action."

Staff Writers Catherine Jun, Mark Hicks and Doug Guthrie contributed to this report.

http://detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /709070370