Thread: CA: Screening in jails unsettling to Latinos

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ne ... 538802.php

Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Screening in jails unsettling to Latinos
YVETTE CABRERA
Register columnist
ycabrera@ocregister.com The message was clear and the people of Costa Mesa heard it over and over from Mayor Allan Mansoor.

Residents had many issues and concerns about the city's proposal to train certain police officers to check the immigration status of criminals arrested on suspicion of a serious felony.

But Mansoor assured them that enforcement would focus on people accused of serious crimes.

"The focus is on violent offenders," Mansoor said in a Dec. 8, 2005, Register news article.

"The focus of this (enforcement) is to remove violent, criminal offenders to make the streets safer. I don't see how anyone can protest against that. This will in no way, shape or form involve sweeps or focus on the victims of crime," Mansoor said in another Register article on Dec. 24, 2005.

None of the residents I've interviewed on this issue have a problem with removing felons off the street, documented or undocumented, and making sure those felons who are here illegally are deported.

What they were concerned about was that the program would be used to target all immigrants, would profile based on race, and would erode the trust built between the Latino community and the police department.

The plan to train officers was scrapped and instead the city accepted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's offer to send an agent to the city jail to screen arrestees. Last week, Register reporters Jeff Overley and Niyaz Pirani reported the results from the first month of screening.

So what of Mansoor's promise that only felons would be targeted?

Forty-six people were flagged, and Overley and Niyaz found that at least four of the cases involved felonies and eight involved misdemeanors, such as petty theft, driving under the influence and disorderly conduct. They also found that there were at least two cases where individuals were detained after traffic stops at which they couldn't produce a valid identification.

When I spoke to Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she confirmed that all of the detainees had been put in formal deportation hearings.

"We don't track cases based upon whether or not the deportable alien has a misdemeanor conviction or felony conviction," she said. "Our basis for lodging the detainer is the determination by ICE that this person is deportable whether it's based on their criminal record or whether they are in the country illegally."

If an undocumented immigrant undergoes formal deportation hearings and is then deported, it's considered a felony if they illegally re-enter the country. The maximum penalty for felony re-entry after deportation is 20 years, according to Kice.

I reached Mansoor by phone Friday and he agreed that yes, he voted for the proposal that would check the immigration status of criminals arrested on suspicion of a serious felony, but that originally he wanted something more encompassing.

His original proposal was to allow police officers to detain undocumented immigrants for even minor offenses such as jaywalking and soliciting work. Under the new ICE program, Mansoor says they are simply screening people who are arrested in the normal course of duty and who are brought into custody.

"Do you want someone who is committing a crime to be released back into society if they are here illegally," said Mansoor.

"I believe people should come here legally and people should have a means to properly identity themselves. And if someone commits a crime they should be deported."

When I pointed out that this is contrary to what the City Council approved, that only felons would be targeted, he responded: "I support ICE being in our facility and screening those who are here illegally and committing crimes."

He believes that these full screenings are effective in reducing crime, but only time and crime data will provide us proof that this is actually true.

"Most criminals are repeat offenders and if you remove a burglar who is here illegally he's not going to commit another burglary," Mansoor said.

Will crime actually increase because witnesses and victims of crimes aren't willing to step forward?

Local police chiefs that I've interviewed, including Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walter point to studies that have shown that if undocumented immigrants don't feel confident in the police, they can be victimized more frequently, crimes go unreported and culprits get away.

The bottom line is that the very fears that some in the Costa Mesa community had, that these screenings would not distinguish between more serious felonies and misdemeanors, are now a reality.

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I am sick and tired of the police worrying about illegals and how they won't report crime to the police if they deal with immigration laws. Women who are victims of domestic violence will still call the police if they get beaten as they are guaranteed a 2 year temporary green card and then if they apply for a permanent one they usually do get it. As for other crimes, many don't call the police already and other witnesses often call it in. People forget where these people come from and how corrupt many of their police departments are and think our are the same. Many of them try pay police officers off for speeding tickets or other traffic offenses as they would do back home.

It's the criminal Hispanics that hide behind "racial profiling" and all the I'm afraid of... All this "worry" is actually handcuffing law enforcement from going after criminals and I don't care what race they are.

Hypothetically speaking, if 200 Hispanics are car jackers, 3 blacks, 5 Asians and 50 white guys. We are not going to have a court dates set for one from each race. Realistically, there are going to be a heck of a lot more Hispanics caught car jacking because they are majority committing that crime. I repeat, hypothetically because I don't know anything about car jacking statistics.

White people commit the majority of white collar crimes.(Oh my, I just racial profiled whites) Should we put off their prosecution, while waiting for the other races to catch up to their number offenses? NO that's just idiotic! Come on! I didn’t hear a bunch of special interest groups for white people screaming about a racial profiling lawsuit on the behalf of Martha Stewart and the board of directors for Enron going down.

Racial profiling accusations are just a way to hide a race of criminals behind another race of criminals.

Dixie

Dixie: If you look at federal statistics you will find the following in jails; Mostly African Americans, Hispanics and then whites. I don't want to sound racist but that is the truth. They are predicting if the current amount of illegals keep coming then Hispanics will switch postion with African Americans.
As for jails they need to get rid of the illegals as they are a major risk to corrections officer's safety. I don't know if you have watched any of the documentaries on prisons but if you have the violence towards gang members and races is a big problem. I saw one about a prison in California that houses many gang members and it was unbelievable. That one was on Court TV but then there was another one on MSNBC and it was about a prison in Utah and I was shocked to find that it was almost as bad as the one in California. I need to look into the stats regarding the corrections officers injuries due to those fights. I can tell you that they are very brutal and you do see lots of blood.

Super Max Prisons******wonderful Vacation resorts
>>Chino,Ca
>>San Quentin, Ca
>>Folsom, (Represa, Calif.)
>>Alcatraz (San Fransisco, Ca)
43% of the inmates in Ca. are illegal Immigrants

http://www.supermaxed.com/SM-index-p-2.htm

"The 10 most famous prisons" take the side show
http://www.channelone.com/news/2004/05/ ... index.html

The Rock

Sing Sing

Pelican Bay is one of the prisons they showed on the TV show. I think that they should reopen Alcatraz for the illegal prisoners and/or as a detention center for illegals.
I know that there is also a large number of illegals in prisons in Florida but I don't know what perentage.

Swatchick wrote:

I think that they should reopen Alcatraz for the illegal prisoners and/or as a detention center for illegals.

That sounds like an excellent idea !

I know this area well, lived there most of my life. This is great!

http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.76745.html

Crackdown On Illegal Immigrants In Jail

Last Updated:
01-12-07 at 10:15AM

Law enforcement agencies in Orange County are working with the federal government to deport illegal immigrants serving time in U.S. jails.

The news could mean as many as 11,000 illegal aliens could be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

Latino advocacy groups said the program contributes to the targeting and racial profiling of all persons who appear to be "illegal." Agents said that is not true because they are checking the immigration status of all inmates, not just those that appear "illegal."

Latino advocacy groups said the program contributes to the targeting and racial profiling of all persons who appear to be "illegals,

The sonario is getting so old it will soon lose all merit.