Thread: Mesa policy cracks down on immigrants

Mesa policy cracks down on immigrants
by Gary Nelson - Jul. 2, 2008 04:49 PM
The Arizona Republic
Mesa unveiled a new immigration-enforcement policy Wednesday, making it clear everyone arrested in the city will be asked about their immigration status.

Leaders of Mesa's two police unions hailed the proposal and said it would make life easier for cops on the beat who must deal with complex immigration issues.

Mayor Scott Smith and Police Chief George Gascón said criminal suspects will be referred to federal authorities if there's reason to believe they crossed the border illegally.
But they also said police will not arrest everyone they think might be an illegal immigrant. For example, people pulled over for minor civil traffic violations will not be arrested, even if they admit they are here illegally.

Instead, they will be released, and information about them will be given to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Bryan Soller, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, acknowledged the new rules probably won't satisfy people who want far stricter border enforcement. But he called the policy "a good thing," and said it will boost police communication with ICE while allowing police to continue concentrating on major crimes.

Soller said it would be impossible for Mesa police to take every suspected illegal immigrant into custody because there is simply not enough jail space.

Fabian Cota, president of the Mesa Police Association, also supported the policy.

"Having a policy in place that makes it very clear to everybody what's expected and what is standard throughout the department is a positive thing," Cota said.

Smith said the policy was designed to model an approach that Phoenix took this year after receiving heavy criticism for not doing enough to enforce immigration law.

Smith said it is stricter than the previous standards, written in 2004, but reflect the direction Mesa police have been heading for 18 months under Gascón's leadership.

"I believe this policy is the right approach," Smith said. "The policy recognizes the realities of day-to-day police operations and the level of training and resources that are currently available to our officers."

He called it a "first step" and emphasized that it will evolve over time.

Gascón said Mesa police will work far more closely with ICE than under the old policy.

"It will provide clarity. It will remove some of the ambiguity we have currently in dealing with immigration and fighting crime," Gascón said.

"The reality is, it has to work at 2 o'clock in the morning when an officer is making a traffic stop and he or she encounters someone they believe might be here illegally," Gascón said.

Gascón said the new policy will take effect after a four-month training period for police and legal staff.

Phil Austin, a former assistant Arizona attorney general and past president of the Mesa Association of Hispanic Citizens, said he was involved in discussions that led to the new policy and called it a reasonable approach.

“It wasn't quite clear what Mesa's policy was,â€

This is a concession that in retrospect Arpaio did the right thing. It also shows the role that a State Immigration Police may have. By coming in from the outside they can be above local politics. I look forward to more such collaboration in the future.