Nov. 21, 2007, 12:34AM
ICE tells north Texas cities it plans to speed deportations


Associated Press

DALLAS — Officials with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement have notified North Texas cities that they want to target for deportation suspected illegal immigrants charged with more serious crimes and will no longer detain most of those arrested for Class C misdemeanors.

Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for ICE, said Tuesday there had been a recent spike in the number of referrals to the agency because of increased awareness of the Criminal Alien Program.

"The additional referrals required additional resources not immediately available," Rusnok said in a story for Tuesday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News.

Local law enforcement officials are being asked to refer to ICE those people suspected of being in the country illegally who have been arrested on Class B misdemeanors or more serious crimes.

Rusnok said ICE officials would look at those charged with Class C misdemeanors when they can.

Class C misdemeanors include speeding, assault, public intoxication and hot checks. The fine for such misdemeanors is up to $500. ICE will look at those arrested for Class C misdemeanors if they have a firearm, have an immigration warrant or have a criminal record involving a more serious crime.

A memo sent to the city of Irving says the new guidelines will enable ICE to "allocate our law enforcement assets in the most effective manner possible to address public safety and national security threats."

Irving officials said that about 60 percent of the more than 1,700 suspected illegal immigrants they have turned over to ICE for deportation since last year faced Class C misdemeanor charges.

Latino advocates have accused police officers in Irving of racial profiling and overzealously arresting suspected illegal immigrants so they can be deported.

City officials have countered that police were just providing information to immigration agents as part to streamline the deportation of illegal immigrants who have been incarcerated.

Irving Mayor Herbert Gears said ICE declined to place holds on several suspected illegal immigrants in Irving's jail on Monday because they faced only Class C misdemeanors.

Hispanic leaders and activists were pleased with the ICE decision.

"We said to the Irving authorities that the way they were proceeding was wrong because they were not affecting criminals but families for totally unjustified reasons," Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea said.

He had issued a warning in September to immigrants from his country to avoid the city so they wouldn't be deported.

In addition to Irving, the Dallas, Denton and Collin county sheriff's departments and Farmers Branch, Garland and Grand Prairie police departments use Criminal Alien Program.

"A program called the Criminal Alien Program should not be focused on misdemeanors and first-time offenses," said Alberto Ruiz, a co-founder of a group called Irving Forward. The group defends illegal and legal immigrants and pushes for voter registration for those with U.S. citizenship.

State Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, said Texas and other border states are frustrated that the federal government is not following through on its job.

"If we've identified illegal immigrants, especially if they're committing crimes, it needs to be dealt with," Paxton, who is also on the board of directors for the Texas Conservative Coalition, told the newspaper. "They're not supposed to be here."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 19267.html