N.J. Illegal Immigrants Lose Anonymity In Arrests
By JOE MURRAY, The Bulletin
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm ... 6361&rfi=6
08/27/2007

New Jersey citizens are accustomed to high taxes, long commutes and a state government that moves so slow it borders on inaction. This summer, however, was a tad different.

With the federal government failing to fix America's bleeding border in the Southwest, over 40 states have opted to craft immigration bills of their own in hopes of protecting their citizens and making their states less attractive to those who cross the border illegally. New Jersey, however, was not one of those states.

The cost of New Jersey's failure to address the issue of immigration was demonstrated on Aug. 4, when three college students were cornered and executed in a Newark schoolyard. Two of the six individuals arrested in the course of the investigation are illegal immigrants. Now, three weeks after the murders, New Jersey's has decided to take action.

It was announced by the attorney general Anne Milgram that New Jersey policy has changed so that all local and state law enforcement are required to ask about the immigration status of any individual arrested on a serious criminal charge. If there is reason to believe that the arrestee is an illegal immigrant, state/local officials must contact Immigration Customs Enforcement immediately.

"Specifically, after an individual has been arrested for a serious violation of state criminal law, the individual's immigration status is relevant to his or her ties to the community, the likelihood that he or she will appear at future court proceeding to answer state law charges, and the interest of the federal government in considering enforcement proceedings against the individual the state has arrested for the commission of a serious criminal offense," said the directive.

Prior to this order, it was at the discretion of state and local authorities to contact federal agents regarding the immigration status of an individual.
Milgram's directive, however, instructs police officers to refrain from investigating the immigration status of any victim, witness or person requesting assistance from the police.

"The overriding mission of law enforcement officers in this state is to enforce the state's criminal laws and to protect the community that they serve," Milgram stated. "This requires the cooperation of, and positive relationships with, all members of the community. Public safety suffers if individuals believe that they cannot come forward to report a crime or cooperate with law enforcement."

While mindful that enforcement of immigration laws is squarely within the jurisdiction of the federal government, the New Jersey directive seeks to make sure that the events that took place in Newark never happen again.
One of the suspects in the case, 28-year-old Jose Carranza, is an illegal immigrant from Peru who had previously been indicted for having sex with a minor and was facing charges stemming from a bar fight in West Orange, N.J. Despite the fact that Carranza was in the system, New Jersey officials were oblivious as to Carranza's immigration status and permitted this dangerous individual to be placed back on the street.
Even though the policy is too late for the three victims of this crime, immigration reform watchdog groups have praised New Jersey for joining other states in protecting their citizens from the threats of illegal immigration.

"Sadly, the change in policy in New Jersey comes too late for the three students who were gunned down in Newark. The only positive outcome that can result from this tragedy is that other states will abolish policies that prevent police from checking immigration status of criminal aliens, resulting in their release back onto the streets where they can claim other innocent victims," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Stein argues that the Newark shootings stand as an example of what happens when cities and towns enact policies that shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities. When such policies are enacted, as they were in Newark, the city becomes a "sanctuary city," in which it is official policy that illegal immigrants, with the aid of city officials, are shielded from federal immigration law.

"Actual, or de facto, sanctuary policies are placing the safety of the American public at risk," Stein said. "After the tragedy in Newark, no local official will ever be able to point the finger of blame at anyone else when local sanctuary policies result in the killing or maiming of innocent members of the community. From here on, the American people will hold officials who institute illegal alien sanctuary policies accountable for the preventable crimes those policies make possible."

Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us.