Thread: Chief Opposes Plan to Stop Immigrants

New chief opposes plan to stop immigrants
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | December 6, 2006

In one of his first official acts, Boston's new police commissioner declared yesterday that he would oppose any effort to enlist city officers in a Romney administration pact that allows the State Police to arrest immigrants who are in Massachusetts illegally.

While Governor Mitt Romney has said that allowing state troopers to detain people for immigration violations could make Massachusetts less welcoming for illegal immigrants, the commissioner, Edward F. Davis III, said he does not want such authority granted to his officers because it would hurt community policing.

"Expanding immigration enforcement to local police would have an overall negative effect on the department's continued efforts to enhance community trust," Davis said in a statement. "In a city as ethnically diverse as Boston, community engagement is a crucial element of effective policing. Enforcing immigration on a local level would compromise the relationships that police must create and maintain with all of the communities in which they serve."

In response, Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney, said, "We think it's important to enforce the law, even if that offends the people who are violating the law."

Ali Noorani , executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said Davis, who was sworn in Monday, had opposed such powers for local police in his previous job, as police superintendent in Lowell. He said Davis had told him that, "If the community doesn't trust us, nobody is safe."

"His entire thing is community policing, and this takes a dynamite stick to any kind of community policing effort," Noorani said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articl ... mmigrants/

Oh boy, Boston has a Police Chief who does not care about the American citizens who he has sworn to serve and protect.

But this is Massachusetts that place that gives you "Steady" Teddy Kennedy.

This chief needs to get bounced out! Maybe we could put a doughnut on a stick and lead him down to Mexico

This may get interesting.

http://www.lowellsun.com/front/ci_4788846

Feds say state can bust illegal immigrants
By REBECCA FATER, Sun Statehouse Bureau
Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated:12/06/2006 11:39:57 AM EST

BOSTON -- Massachusetts is set to become the eighth entity to strike a deal with the federal government allowing its state troopers to arrest illegal aliens, awaiting only Gov. Mitt Romney's signature.

Romney struck the pact, called a 287g agreement, with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency last week. Few specifics of the agreement have been revealed since, with the Massachusetts State Police declining comment and the Executive Office of Public Safety refusing to discuss details until the pact is signed.

Romney is touring Asia this week, and his spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom did not return calls. However, when Romney's legal counsel began investigating the possibility of such a pact in June, Fehrnstrom told a Sun reporter that Romney's pursuit of the agreement is consistent with his stance on immigration and is not a political ploy to prepare Romney for a likely 2008 presidential run.

"We are a nation of laws," Fehrnstrom said. "In the case of immigration, our laws are being broken every day. In the past, Romney has vetoed legislation to provide tuition breaks to illegals. He's opposed to giving them driver's licenses. He doesn't think the government should be condoning illegal behavior."

It is unclear when the pact will take effect and how many state troopers will be assigned new duties.

Massachusetts is not alone in seeking similar agreements with the federal government. About 30 government agencies -- meaning state, county and municipal governments -- across the country have applied for 287g agreements with ICE, said spokesman Michael Gilhooly.

In February, officials in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, signed off on one such agreement, granting 12 sheriff's officers authority to identify and charge illegal aliens while booking them for jail time.

Since then, the officers have charged nearly 1,000 offenders.

"The theory behind the program is to form partnerships with local governments to work as a force multiplier for us," said Gilhooly, adding that 176 officers across the country have been trained in similar programs. "As every agency in the world has finite resources, when we can form partnerships that can help us apprehend people who are public-safety risks, it's a prudent and wise thing to do."

Congress approved the program's concept in 1996, and ICE has since entered into seven active agreements with partners ranging from the state of Florida to the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Training for officers involved in the program is almost five weeks long and focuses on immigration law, civil-rights law and anti-racial-profiling policies. Officers are also trained to use ICE's databases.

"When the officers are trained and certified, and the memorandum of understanding is signed, they essentially work under an ICE supervisor," Gilhooly said. "But they're doing it during the normal course of duties they're assigned to."

State troopers trained through the program will not go out in search of illegal immigrants, but will keep a lookout for them while pulling cars over for speeding or other offenses, Gilhooly added.

But Ali Noorani, executive director of the Mass. Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the pact threatens three major problems: profiling of immigrants, decreased trust between law enforcement and the immigrant community, and mismanagement of public-safety resources.

"If you are an immigrant or look like an immigrant, you had better have your car in full working order or be a perfect driver," Noorani said. "Because if that officer wants to pull you over, they're going to find a reason to do so."

It's unclear how Gov.-elect Deval Patrick will handle the deal when he is sworn into office Jan. 4. Patrick, who supports giving state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants, suggested during his campaign that troopers have enough work to do without the responsibility of arresting illegals. A Patrick spokeswoman yesterday declined to comment on the new pact.

I wonder which rock he crawled out from under?

Added to Homepage

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=1743

Scary that the chief cares so little about his legal citizens!!!The good thing is that it is being made public and the citizens, as well as the rest of the nation, know what a incompetant man the chief is.