AZ: Migrant policy debated
Migrant policy debated
Casey Newton and Daniel Gonzalez
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Changing Phoenix police's immigration-enforcement policies will create a climate of fear in Phoenix that could lead to multimillion-dollar lawsuits and even riots, speakers said Thursday at a raucous town hall.
From the audience, supporters of drafting a new policy said police need more freedom to enforce the law and said their voices weren't being heard Thursday night.
About 600 people packed the auditorium at South Mountain High School to address a four-man panel convened by Mayor Phil Gordon to review Operations Order 1.4.
The policy prevents police in most cases from asking about a person's immigration status. It has led some to brand Phoenix as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.
"Don't let Phoenix become the next Watts, the next LA riots," Alex Navidad, an immigration lawyer, said in an impassioned plea to the panel. "That's what's going to happen. A community that's fearful, with loads of police, can only lead to tragedy."
Wild forum
The immigration controversy led to a wild forum that saw several illegal-immigration foes forcibly removed from the auditorium after shouting at the stage. They loudly performed the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening remarks of Mary Rose Wilcox, an event organizer and Maricopa County supervisor.
Members of the mostly Hispanic audience leaped to their feet throughout the evening in support of various comments made by speakers. When protesters began shouting, audience members drowned them out with a chant of "Si, se puede," or "Yes, it is possible."
"They don't want any opposition," said Jim Williams, a supporter of the new policy who was asked to leave. "They're trying to shove this down our throats."
Event security arrested one man after he refused to leave, a police spokeswoman said. Because the man eventually left the meeting, it was unclear whether charges would be filed.
Phoenix police made no arrests.
One protester who supports eliminating the police policy said the audience misinterpreted what she and her fellow protesters want.
"We aren't asking police to become immigration officers," said Valerie Roller, a Glendale resident who left the meeting in solidarity with the protesters who were removed. "We just want them to have the tools to do their jobs effectively."
Phoenix police are already overburdened without having to enforce immigration laws, said Lizzette Alameda Zubey, president of the Maricopa County Hispanic Bar Association. She said that eliminating the policy would lead to expensive racial-profiling lawsuits against the city, as well as additional costs for processing and jailing undocumented residents.
Speakers said undocumented immigrants should not be deported for committing infractions that would normally not result in jail, such as a traffic violation.
Thursday's town hall came a week after Gordon's announcement that he no longer supports 1.4. Gordon advocates changing the policy to allow police to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement when any law has been violated by a person whom police suspect of being an illegal immigrant.
Gordon's review panel includes two former U.S. attorneys, former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley and former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods.
Their recommendations were due Dec. 31but were granted an extension Thursday night. While the panel works, a separate group commissioned by Police Chief Jack Harris is conducting a review of its own.
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