Thread: Jail guards beginning to enforce immigration laws

Jail guards beginning to enforce immigration laws
June 27th, 2008 @ 7:50am
By Andrew Adams
Some jail guards are taking on a new job that the feds usually take care of: They're going to start identifying undocumented immigrants.

This is happening in Weber and Washington counties. The move appears to be the first sign of implementation of a new state law that allows local police to operate as enforcers of immigration laws. Their powers will be limited to bookings. No trolling around outside the jail for undocumented workers.

Latino advocate Tony Yapias wants it to be fair, if it's going to happen. He said, "What I'd like to see is that everybody who comes into the jail, regardless of their skin color, there should be a question of their legal status."

He says undocumented families are already expressing concern they'll be targeted when going to visit the jails, but the sheriffs in the counties say that shouldn't happen.

Already, some lawyers are saying they don't like it, calling it "racial profiling." One attorney told the Salt Lake Tribune this gives police a false impression they can stop someone merely because they want to, and that's not constitutional.

E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3631327


lots of comments at link

These are jail guards--not police. If the jail guard is asking about legal status, it means the law has already "stopped" the person. How can this be racial profiling?

They're asking about their legal status, not what ethnic group they belong to. So, how is finding out if someone is this country legally racial profiling? These OBL's will do anything to try and stop us from enforcing the laws.

Ask EVERYONE who comes into that facility to verify their immigration status! That takes care of the "racial profiling" concern.

Problem solved!