http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 5568.story

Migrants Are Told Plan Is Sensible
O.C.'s sheriff and a police chief say their new federal role wouldn't involve sweeps.
By Jennifer Delson
Times Staff Writer

January 19, 2006

Officials in Orange County are trying to allay fears that new efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants will stigmatize and frighten Latinos and other minorities.

"We are not going to be doing sweeps," Costa Mesa Police Chief John D. Hensley told dozens of Latino community leaders in Santa Ana on Wednesday. "We are not going to be squeezing employers…. That is just not going to happen."

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona had a similar message at the meeting: "We are only targeting the worst of the worst. We are trying to take people off the streets that will do nothing to enhance the overall quality of our community."

Concerns of immigrant advocates and Latino groups have mounted in recent months as opponents of illegal immigration press their campaign for more local enforcement of immigration laws in Southern California.

The city of Costa Mesa recently asked the federal government to train city police to be immigration officers, just as Carona has proposed for his deputies.

Costa Mesa is believed to be the first city in the nation to have its police enforce federal immigration laws. The Sheriff's Department would join those in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, as well as counties in Florida, Alabama and Arizona. These counties have already signed memorandums of understanding with the federal government to train local authorities in law enforcement.

The Sheriff's Department has submitted to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a plan to train deputies in immigration law. Once approved by the federal government, the county Board of Supervisors would decide whether to enter into an agreement with the federal government to make sheriff's deputies federal immigration officers.

Federal approval should come soon and consideration by county supervisors could happen within a month, said Jon Fleischman, a spokesman for the sheriff.

The proposal would give deputies access to federal databases to determine prior offenses of suspects. It would also allow deputies to determine the immigration status of suspected felons. Currently, that status can be checked only if a suspect is in custody.

The explanations are not well understood or accepted among Latinos, some community leaders say.

"There's increasing tension," said Amin David, who heads Los Amigos of Orange County, a civic group that meets to discuss Latino issues. "The chill factor is already in the works and nothing has even happened yet. There's not even a plan in place. The Costa Mesa community is already in great fear."

Immigrant rights advocates say local authorities should not have the right to enforce federal law because it could increase racial profiling.

One such advocate â€â€