Thread: Immigration Status Check For Low-Level Crimes Quashed

Immigration status check for low-level crimes quashed

by Maura McDermott
Friday August 24, 2007, 9:57 PM



Top federal and state law enforcement officials yesterday quashed the Morristown Mayor's plan for local police to check the immigration status of those charged with traffic violations or other low-level crimes.


The directives came two days after Attorney General Anne Milgram ordered local officers statewide to check the immigration status of all suspects charged with serious crimes or drunk driving.

Mayor Donald Cresitello's plan for police to make immigration checks on routine traffic stops "is something our office thinks should not happen," said David Wald, a spokesman for Milgram.

The mayor suggested the wide-ranging immigration checks in an Aug. 16 letter to U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, written before Milgram announced the new policy.

In the letter, Cresitello proposed a crackdown including immigration checks on traffic stops - questioning all drivers, to avoid racial profiling - as well as investigations of contractors suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. He asked Christie's help in prosecuting such cases.

Christie's cooperation, the mayor wrote, "is critical to the success of this endeavor because you will have to decide whether and to what extent the violators arrested will be prosecuted."

Christie responded in a letter yesterday, telling the mayor his office does not accept cases for prosecution from municipal authorities, and does not formally enter into task forces with other agencies.

"If you want to propose a task force....it would be most appropriate for you to propose that directly to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and any other federal and/or state law enforcement agency of your choosing," Christie wrote.

Cresitello, yesterday, said Milgram has "handcuffed law enforcement in the state of New Jersey."

Read more about this in Saturday's Star-Ledger.



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COMMENTS (1)Post a comment

Posted by doctorphil on 08/24/07 at 8:43PM

New Jersey for the last 4 years has required all of us "legals" to report to MVC offices to prove that we not illegals before we could renew our licenses. But it turns out illegals when stopped for a traffic violation, who do not have driver's licenses and cannot get one, don't have to worry! Why did NJ make us go through the hassle when it becomes meaningless when illegals are caught driving in New Jersey?





http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/0 ... lowle.html

I find it absolutely unacceptable that politicians and police chiefs are actually afraid to enforce the law. Anyone who is foreign born should have thier immigation status checked if arrested for any crime, misdemeanor or not. If it weren't such a serious issue, it would allmost be funny watching these spineless bureacrats bending over backwards in the name of PC. God forbid, they actually enforce our immigration laws as written. Instead, they find every excuse to not to. Such worthless idiots.

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I'm hoping a new legislature vote coming up this November and new Sheriff elections can change this situation.

We have to keep up the pressure. We won't let up either!