Thread: ICE plan could signal meaningful policy

ICE plan could signal meaningful policy

EditorialRENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 12/2/2007
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement jail program that partners local law enforcement officers with federal agents could mark the beginning of a meaningful immigration policy.
Although the program is far removed from the question of how the borders can be controlled, the Clark County's sheriff and some deputies see value in the program. Other agencies should examine the program to discover similar value.
The program addresses the fact that people who cross the border without the proper papers are flouting this nation's laws and have committed a criminal act.
It is unfortunate that the arrest and jailing of some people in this same population reinforces the perception of criminality, often forces domestic agencies into warehousing them for extended periods and can discourage cooperation in the communities to which they belong.
Local officials should not have to screen for immigration status. That should be a job for federal agents. The most visible action that has come from the feds, however, has been to recommend an identification system that most people think is unworkable and to mount inhumane and heavy-handed sweeps of workplaces, while ignoring employers who have enabled this particular illegal activity.
The heated quality of the debate and the number of illegals believed to be in state custody should encourage further examination of the program.
ICE would provide local officials with program hardware and software for the data base.
It would deputize selected officials as immigration agents, give them access to the network and train them in the appropriate use of the program that tracks violations and immigration status of foreign-born inmates.
The program would avert any inclination toward unfair or inappropriate stereotyping or vigilantism at the street level. There would be no need to even ask a question about immigration status, when officers know that it will be addressed by the department using official channels. It also would relieve local agencies of responsibility for disrupting family arrangements which is to destabilize social structure.
Nevada agencies would not be alone. More than three dozen police agencies already have signed on to the program and 80 other requests are being processed. It is a way to turn federal responsibility back into the hands of the feds and dispel any idea that locals are complicit in the problem.
This could be the first step in a systematic effort to identify and deport illegals who are arrested. The critical caveat must be that the program is used wisely and fairly, and without any inclination to painting all immigrants with the same broad stroke. It deserves attention statewide.

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic ... 7712020321

Are they talking about the CAP program or something else? I'd like to forward this on to my local sheriff.