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Reject Morristown, Chertoff is asked
Thursday, April 12, 2007

A statewide Latino organization is asking the Homeland Security chief to reject Morristown's request that his agency give its town police the training and authority to enforce immigration laws.

In a letter to department Secretary Michael Chertoff, the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey (LLANJ) said Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello and some City Council members "plan to use the Law Enforcement Partnership program to expound their xenophobic thinking on immigration reform and to create what they perceive as political capital with certain segments of the voting population."

LLANJ argued that the town officials' objective contrasts with the premise of the Homeland Security Department program, which partners selected local, county and state agencies with federal agents in enforcing immigration laws. Organization president Martin Perez stressed that the federal Memorandum of Agreement -- the contract between immigration officials and the non-federal authorities involved – seeks to "pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity."

Instead, Perez argues, Morristown officials seem focused on targeting day laborers in the belief that running them out of town would "relieve" an "overburdening of local services."

In support of their proposal to Homeland Security, Morristown officials have said that illegal immigrants have endangered the safety of the city's residents.

A call to Cresitello for a comment on LLANJ's letter was not returned Wednesday.

E-mail: llorente@northjersey.com