Thread: Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Partnership Laudable;

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Partnership Laudable; Official Secrecy is Not

Naples Daily News (Florida)
February 24, 2010

A high-ranking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official came to Collier County the other day and had high praise for the partnership with the Collier County Sheriff's Office.

He said it is a model for the entire state in terms of local/federal teamwork to get dangerous illegal immigrants off the street and often into prison and/or sent back where they came from.

No surprise there. We heartily agree. To this day we give former Sheriff Don Hunter most of the credit for leading after realizing, after 9/11, that local and federal agencies were not talking to each other.

It was so bad, Hunter discovered, that illegal immigrants known to federal authorities were slipping through the fingers of local authorities because the local authorities didn't know the illegal immigrants were wanted and dangerous.

The ICE official visiting Collier went on to say the partnership is a model for the entire country.

No surprise there either. Congratulations again.

The ICE official went on further, taking issue with the Daily News questioning the official secrecy surrounding illegal immigrants rounded up and held as a result of the partnership.

The absence of full publicity is due to a mandate of Congress, the official said, and the families and attorneys of incarcerated illegal immigrants are kept fully apprised.

That is like saying "Trust us."

No congratulations from us there.

An American program designed to defend national security can do much better. Anyone picked up by law-enforcement officials - whether they are illegal immigrants or natives - can effectively disappear without arrest files being public records.

Local/federal partnerships such as the important one in Collier will come up short of unquestioned success as long as the secrecy aspect is there.

It is ironic for a program meant to showcase American strength via identifying illegal immigrants can maintain such a blind spot or obstacle to transparency.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 37&start=3

Originally Posted by American-ized

Local/federal partnerships such as the important one in Collier will come up short of unquestioned success as long as the secrecy aspect is there.

It is ironic for a program meant to showcase American strength via identifying illegal immigrants can maintain such a blind spot or obstacle to transparency.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 37&start=3

Hey, who wants people to know that dangerous criminals from other countries are all around us?