Bernalillo County won't aid feds

ALBUQUERQUE -- The Bernalillo County Commission has approved a resolution against helping federal immigration officers round up illegal immigrants.

Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday for the resolution, which opposes the so-called Clear Act. The proposed federal legislation would force state and local law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal immigrants or face losing access to federal grant money.

The proposal, introduced in 2003 by Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., and reintroduced earlier this year, is opposed by dozens of cities, including Albuquerque. It has failed in the House of Representatives several times.

Commissioner Deanna Archuleta, who sponsored the Bernalillo County measure, said she believes the act's chance of passage is even more remote this year but wanted a local resolution to protest recent roundups in Santa Fe and elsewhere.
ICE officers arrested 29 immigrants in Santa Fe in March and April, prompting an outcry from city officials and immigrant-rights groups.

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