Arizona immigration bill: Police chiefs criticize measure

by Alia Beard Rau -
Apr. 21, 2010 01:32 PM
The Arizona Republic .

Police chiefs from across the nation jumped into Arizona's immigration battle Wednesday.

During a telephone press conference, four chiefs - including former Mesa Chief George Gascón - criticized the proposed immigration law the state Legislature passed. The bill now awaits Gov. Jan Brewer's signature.

Brewer has until the end of the day Saturday to decide if she'll sign Senate Bill 1070, veto it or do nothing and allow it to become law. The bill, among other things, would make it a state crime to be in the country illegally and requires local law enforcement to determine an individual's legal status if there is reasonable suspicion that he or she is in the U.S. illegally.

In addition to Gascón, who is now chief of the San Francisco Police Department, the other conference participants were Raleigh, N.C. Chief Harry Dolan, Colorado Springs Chief Richard Myers and former Sacramento chief and current Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative project director Arturo Venegas, Jr.

Their consensus was that immigration enforcement should be the responsibility of the federal government, not local law enforcement.

Gascón said the bill would have "catastrophic impacts" on policing in Arizona and beyond.

He said it will put officers in the impossible position of trying to enforce the law without racially profiling, will make minorities reluctant to report crimes and will cost departments money they can't afford for training and to fight lawsuits.

"Most professional law enforcement leaders around country are fairly united in their concerns about the impact that making immigration enforcement the primary function of local policing would have on resources, our ability to fight crime and our ability to work with various communities that may have significant representation of immigrants whether here with or without authority," he said. "Most major law enforcement around country have spoken very clearly to opposition having local police enforce immigration laws."

Gascón argued that immigration problems are not a law-enforcement problem but an economic problem that need to be resolved with economic solutions.

"Our birth rate is going in the wrong direction for our capitalist system of government and our economics to grow," he said. "We require a continuing influx of people from other countries to come to work. This is not something that can be fixed through law enforcement."

The three without Arizona connections said they decided to speak up because they are worried that Arizona could be just the first of many to consider such a step. They want the federal government to get involved instead.

"Right now, Arizona is ground zero with the extreme challenges of immigration and the absence of federal resources necessary to do the job, but my state is connected to Arizona," Myers said. "If this happens in Arizona, it won't be long for it to become a hot button issue here."

And he said this isn't a direction local police in any state can afford to go.

"This Arizona legislation poses yet another unfunded mandate to local police that we can't sustain," he said. "It expects local police to engage in what is the primary mission of federal authorities."

He blames years of neglect from the federal government for the current immigration problems. But he said that's no reason to pass the problem on to local and state agencies.

"We have a federal government charged with protecting our borders, defending our homeland," he said. "I will not accept the fact that this is the responsibility of local police who have been working tirelessly to address crime."

He said local police should be left to deal with the criminal aspects of immigration once they reach their communities.

"In my neck of the woods, all the meth and cocaine comes out of Mexico, and even a significant amount of our marijuana comes out of Mexico," he said. "If it gets here, we'll deal with the criminal behavior."

Dolan admitted he doesn't know what Arizona is experiencing in its battle over immigration issues. But he said immigration cannot be the responsibility of local police.

"To put our full attention to undocumented individuals that are not committing crimes . . . raises concerns," Dolan said. "I look to Washington to give us leadership here. Give us guidance, sit down with all the interest groups, and let's make some decisions that take this issue to the federal level."

There are several law-enforcement agencies and groups that support the bill.

Levi Bolton, legislative lobbyist for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, which represents more than 2,500 Phoenix police officers, said his group hand-delivered a letter encouraging Brewer to sign the bill.

And the Arizona Police Association, which represents 18 local law-enforcement associations and about 9,000 rank-and-file officers, supports the measure.

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