Thread: Immigration, police pairing to fight gangs spurs controversy

October 2, 2008
Immigration, police pairing to fight gangs spurs controversy in South Florida
By Luis F. Perez | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 2, 2008
A study released Wednesday contends that a controversial pairing of local police with federal immigration officials has been a "key ingredient" in the national fight against gangs.

But local immigration advocates say the effort may do more harm than good.

The Center for Immigration Studies, which promotes more restrictive immigration policies, said federal and local law enforcement cooperation led to the arrest of more than 8,000 gang members during the 2005-07 study period. Miami ranked eighth in the number of arrests with 325. West Palm Beach had one; Fort Lauderdale, 11.

Still, there are many more native-born gang members, a center spokeswoman said. Palm Beach County investigators arrested made more than 2,000 gang members in 2007.



Related links
The Center for Immigration Studies, which promotes more restrictive immigration policies, looks at gangs. (PDF) "They say they're going after gangs, but they target immigrants," said Bob Louis Jeune of Palm Beach County Coalition for Immigrants' Rights. That could lead immigrants to stop cooperating with local police, advocates say.

In the past year, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and others agencies to arrest members of the high-profile Top 6 and Sur-13 gangs. Broward County's gang task force goes out with ICE officials about once a month, its commander, Lt. Robert Cates, said.

"It's another tool in our tool belt," Palm Beach County Sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.



Read the study


Go to SunSentinel.

com/gangs to read the study about immigrant gangs in its entirety.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... 1234.story

Still, there are many more native-born gang members, a center spokeswoman said.

Only because of the current unconstitutional granting of US Citizenship to illegal alien babies. If that was reversed that majority of gang members would be illegal aliens and thus eligible for deportation.