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Patrick to look at state police role in immigration enforcement
By David Weber, Associated Press Writer | December 3, 2006

BOSTON --Gov.-elect Deval Patrick will "quite closely" review a move by Gov. Mitt Romney to allow state troopers to enforce federal immigration laws, said a key aide, who also accused Romney of political opportunism.

Romney, who has touted his hard-line stances against illegal immigration and gay marriage as he prepares for a probable Republican presidential run in 2008, was expected to announce later this week the details of the long-sought agreement with federal officials to authorize state troopers to arrest illegal immigrants during the course of their regular police duties.

"It is safe to say that the governor-elect will be reviewing the details of the agreement quite closely," Patrick spokesman Richard Chacon said. "This appears to be another out-the-door action by Gov. Romney with an eye toward his presidential ambitions rather than toward sound public policy for the people of Massachusetts."

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrstrom responded, "I hope we haven't reached the point where enforcing the law is considered a political ploy."

Massachusetts state troopers currently can't arrest people solely on the basis of their immigration status, but can detain a person at the request of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. The new agreement, which Romney first proposed publicly in June, would authorize troopers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants after an encounter as routine as a traffic stop.

"The agreement is finalized from our point of view and is with the Secretary of Public Safety's Office in Massachusetts," ICE spokesman Michael Gilhooly said Sunday.

Gilhooly said the pact called for a select group of troopers to receive 4 1/2 weeks of training on immigration and civil rights law and on avoiding racial profiling. He said the federal government would pay the salaries and travel expenses for the ICE instructors, and the state would pay the salaries and travel expenses of the troopers chosen for the program.

Gilhooly said ICE has similar enforcement agreements with state agencies in Florida, Alabama and Arizona and with county correctional agencies in California and North Carolina. He said 30 other state, county or local agencies have applied to receive the immigration law enforcement authorization and training.

"These agencies are force multipliers for us," Gilhooly said. "If we can develop innovative ways to further our investigation efforts, it will benefit everyone."

When Patrick, a Democrat, initially heard about the plan during his recently completed gubernatorial campaign, he dismissed it as a "gimmick" by Romney.

"I think the state police has a lot to do already right now ... and I think asking the state police to take on a federal responsibility is not their job," Patrick said during an appearance on WGBH-TV in June.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, called on Patrick to rescind the policy. Noorani said it would heighten existing distrust between immigrants and police and would have a chilling effect on the reporting of crimes such as domestic violence because those reporting crimes could fear detention themselves.

"We have reached out to the (Patrick) administration and made our concerns clear," Noorani said.

Noorani also accused Romney of hypocrisy in the wake of a Boston Globe report last week that illegal immigrants worked on the crew that manicured the grounds of his mansion in Belmont.

"His family directly benefited from the labor of undocumented immigrants," Noorani said.

Romney has said he was unaware illegal workers were employed by the yard service he hired.