http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 7/MTCN0305

Wednesday, 03/08/06

Local police shouldn't be U.S. immigration agents

State lawmakers should ask Congress why immigration isn’t a high priority


State lawmakers are considering legislation that calls on Tennessee law enforcement officers to actively assist in helping in the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants.

Judging from the number of legislators who have signed on as sponsors of the legislation, the idea of using local police and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers on immigration cases is popular. But before state lawmakers vote on this measure, they need to do some homework.

First, they need to talk to the police chiefs, THP officers and the district attorneys in their districts. When they do, they will find stiff opposition to the idea because of the impact it could have on criminal investigations and community police efforts.

This newspaper recently had such a conversation with Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas and Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin, both of whom talked about their efforts to build ties to immigrant communities. Serpas specifically cited the recent breakthrough in a homicide investigation, which he attributed in part to cooperation from Nashville's Hispanic community.

Cooperation from the public is vital in all facets of police work. If Hispanics or people of other ethnicities believe that every time they talk to the police, the officers will ask for proof of their status, that trust would be shattered. And what about the thousands of native-born Tennesseans who may look like immigrants? Would police call upon them to prove their citizenship? If so, the practice would invite racial profiling.

Another conversation that state lawmakers need to have is with the Tennessee congressional delegation. They should ask members of Congress why the federal government hasn't accepted immigration as a high priority and approached it in a comprehensive way.

Local police and THP officers already alert immigration officials when they learn that someone in custody is in this nation illegally. That level of cooperation makes sense.

But Tennessee lawmakers can't expect local police to be effective in their jobs as peace-keepers and crime-solvers if they also are required to be immigration agents. Immigration control is a federal function. The federal government's failure to manage that job is no justification in foisting it off on local police and THP. •