Don't know if this was posted already, but good news.

http://www.lowellsun.com/front/ci_3967655

Romney: State troopers should have power to arrest illegal immigrants
By REBECCA FATER, Sun Statehouse Bureau

BOSTON -- Days after Attorney General Tom Reilly reaffirmed his promise not to hunt down companies that hire illegal immigrants, Gov. Mitt Romney has decided to take matters into his own hands.

Romney, who is considering a run for president in 2008, has asked his legal counsel to explore the possibility of entering into an agreement with the federal government that would authorize state troopers to arrest illegal immigrants, said spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom yesterday.

Under such an agreement, "if a state police officer makes a motor vehicle stop and has reason to believe that the driver is an illegal alien, he can detain the individual on that basis," said Fehrnstrom. Currently, only federal immigration officials have such authority.

A handful of states have entered into similar agreements with the federal government under a program known as 287G. The program is part of a law Congress passed in 1996 that gives states the option of working with federal officials to combat illegal immigration.

Reilly, who reaffirmed his office's position two days ago, announced in 2001 that he would not crack down on companies employing illegal immigrants. Reilly spokesman Dave Guarino said yesterday that the attorney general's main focus is to prosecute worker exploitation by companies in terms of wages and hours. Immigration concerns, he said, do not fall under the attorney general's responsibility.

"The federal government is the primary enforcer for immigration laws," Guarino said. "We knew that if workers felt like they would be turned over to federal officials that they wouldn't come forward, and we wouldn't be able to build the many cases (against companies) that we've built."

Reilly has since recouped $17 million for workers who had been exploited by their companies as a result, he added.

Fehrnstrom said Romney's intentions are consistent with his concern for the law.

"Romney has vetoed legislation to provide tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. He's opposed to giving them driver's licenses. He doesn't think government should be condoning illegal behavior. This new initiative is a away for us to assist the federal government in their efforts to enforce the law," he said.