Bill endorsed giving State Police authority to arrest illega
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/200 ... 18195.html
Bill endorsed giving State Police authority to arrest illegal immigrants
Friday, Mar 4, 2005
By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - A bill that would give the State Police authority to arrest illegal or undocumented immigrants was recommended for passage Thursday by a Senate panel.
The vote on House Bill 1012 by Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, came despite a long list of witnesses who testified that the measure would promote racial profiling and cause immigrants to fear police more than they do already.
The bill, which has been approved by the House, was endorsed Thursday by the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee and now goes to the full Senate. Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, cast the only audible dissenting vote.
Hutchinson downplayed the effect of his bill, saying it only authorizes the State Police director to negotiate with the federal Department of Homeland Security before deciding whether the State Police would become involved in arresting illegal immigrants.
"If he doesn't like the terms of the program, he can say 'no thanks,'" Hutchinson told the Senate panel.
He also said that any arrests would be restricted to federal interstate highways in Arkansas and the bill would not allow "sweeps" or police to go to immigrants' homes or workplaces.
Col. Steve Dozier, director of the Arkansas State Police, said he supports the measure and might dedicate six officers to the program. Dozier said, however, that the federal government would have to bear the training and other associated costs, such as detention and transportation of illegal aliens.
He said he still has questions about how it might work, such as what detention facilities to use and whether a U.S. attorney would be at his agency's disposal given the complexity of federal immigration laws.
Hutchinson said federal Homeland Security officials have been begging states to help make up for that agency's lack of enforcement officers by participating in the 18-month-old program. So far, only Florida and Alabama have done so, he said.
Hutchinson said the measure could help nab terrorists. He said that three of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had been only temporarily detained by Florida state police because the state police lacked authority necessary to hold them after the three were stopped for speeding. Despite the police officer's suspicion of the three, he lacked the authority to detain them beyond 15 minutes and was unable to convince federal authorities to intervene.
Opponents argued later that the three terrorists were in the country legally and had proper identification.
Under Hutchinson's bill, state police, after up to eight weeks of training, could hold possible illegal immigrants longer than the 15-minute period now allowed, Hutchinson said. He also said he believes that the training troopers would get would reduce racial profiling rather than increase it.
Opponents said the bill has already sparked fear in the immigrant community and could have the unintended consequence of further alienating immigrants from law enforcement. Immigrants who are witnesses or victims to crimes are already afraid to report crimes because they fear law enforcement due to their experiences with police in their home countries, said Sheila Gomez, director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Little Rock.
She also criticized Hutchinson's argument that his bill could prevent terrorism.
"We can't point to terrorists by the way people look," Gomez said, citing the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. "We need to reflect on that."
She also questioned who would pay the costs of transporting illegal immigrants to Memphis and Louisiana where such people are detained prior to deportation. She also questioned how the state police could be as effective doing its job if troopers are sidetracked dealing with suspected illegals.
Gomez also said that eight weeks training would be insufficient for troopers to learn about complex immigration laws.
Argue, the Senate president pro tempore, questioned the necessity of the law.
"We're talking about deploying law enforcement resources, which are limited, to fix what is essentially a federal government problem," he said.
Gina Reynolds, an attorney from Bryant, said she believes the bill would lead to unfair detentions of people simply because of the way they look.
Bill endorsed giving State Police authority to arrest illega
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/200 ... 18195.html
Bill endorsed giving State Police authority to arrest illegal immigrants
Friday, Mar 4, 2005
By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - A bill that would give the State Police authority to arrest illegal or undocumented immigrants was recommended for passage Thursday by a Senate panel.
The vote on House Bill 1012 by Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, came despite a long list of witnesses who testified that the measure would promote racial profiling and cause immigrants to fear police more than they do already.
The bill, which has been approved by the House, was endorsed Thursday by the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee and now goes to the full Senate. Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, cast the only audible dissenting vote.
Hutchinson downplayed the effect of his bill, saying it only authorizes the State Police director to negotiate with the federal Department of Homeland Security before deciding whether the State Police would become involved in arresting illegal immigrants.
"If he doesn't like the terms of the program, he can say 'no thanks,'" Hutchinson told the Senate panel.
He also said that any arrests would be restricted to federal interstate highways in Arkansas and the bill would not allow "sweeps" or police to go to immigrants' homes or workplaces.
Col. Steve Dozier, director of the Arkansas State Police, said he supports the measure and might dedicate six officers to the program. Dozier said, however, that the federal government would have to bear the training and other associated costs, such as detention and transportation of illegal aliens.
He said he still has questions about how it might work, such as what detention facilities to use and whether a U.S. attorney would be at his agency's disposal given the complexity of federal immigration laws.
Hutchinson said federal Homeland Security officials have been begging states to help make up for that agency's lack of enforcement officers by participating in the 18-month-old program. So far, only Florida and Alabama have done so, he said.
Hutchinson said the measure could help nab terrorists. He said that three of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had been only temporarily detained by Florida state police because the state police lacked authority necessary to hold them after the three were stopped for speeding. Despite the police officer's suspicion of the three, he lacked the authority to detain them beyond 15 minutes and was unable to convince federal authorities to intervene.
Opponents argued later that the three terrorists were in the country legally and had proper identification.
Under Hutchinson's bill, state police, after up to eight weeks of training, could hold possible illegal immigrants longer than the 15-minute period now allowed, Hutchinson said. He also said he believes that the training troopers would get would reduce racial profiling rather than increase it.
Opponents said the bill has already sparked fear in the immigrant community and could have the unintended consequence of further alienating immigrants from law enforcement. Immigrants who are witnesses or victims to crimes are already afraid to report crimes because they fear law enforcement due to their experiences with police in their home countries, said Sheila Gomez, director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Little Rock.
She also criticized Hutchinson's argument that his bill could prevent terrorism.
"We can't point to terrorists by the way people look," Gomez said, citing the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. "We need to reflect on that."
She also questioned who would pay the costs of transporting illegal immigrants to Memphis and Louisiana where such people are detained prior to deportation. She also questioned how the state police could be as effective doing its job if troopers are sidetracked dealing with suspected illegals.
Gomez also said that eight weeks training would be insufficient for troopers to learn about complex immigration laws.
Argue, the Senate president pro tempore, questioned the necessity of the law.
"We're talking about deploying law enforcement resources, which are limited, to fix what is essentially a federal government problem," he said.
Gina Reynolds, an attorney from Bryant, said she believes the bill would lead to unfair detentions of people simply because of the way they look.
