Thread: Police explain role in deportations

Police explain role in deportations
Gilbert has no written policy in such cases; human relations issue raised
Elias C. Arnold
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 16, 2007 12:00 AM

The Gilbert Police Department reports possible violations of federal law to the appropriate authorities, such as immigration officials, although it has no written policy on such violations, a department spokesman said Thursday.

Tami Smull, Gilbert Human Relations Commission chairwoman, said the practice should be changed if it leaves open the possibility of racial profiling.

Smull said that she does not believe that is what happened last weekend when an officer referred three Valley high school students to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a traffic stop. advertisement




Several Valley law enforcement agencies have teamed with federal officials to enforce immigration laws, raising fears in immigrant communities that routine traffic stops could lead to large-scale deportations.

Gilbert police is not one of the agencies teaming with ICE, according to Lt. Joe Ruet, a police spokesman. Ruet said officers are primarily concerned with local law enforcement and refer issues to ICE, FBI and other agencies.

"It's pretty straight up," he said. "There's not extensive training on it."

The practice is standard for all possible federal violations, not just immigration, Ruet said.

"We do not go out there doing roundups or looking for immigration violations," he said. "We're just out there doing normal (police) business."

According to a police report released Thursday, police stopped 16-year-old Jaime Alonzo Cisneros, of Chandler, on suspicion of drag racing and driving more than 20 mph over the posted limit March 10 on Guadalupe Road near Velero Street.

Calls for comment to Cisneros' phone were not returned.

The officer asked for Cisneros' driver's license, to which he replied he did not have one, the report shows.

When the officer asked why, he said "I just don't. I have a Mexican ID," at which point the officer asked if the reason was because he was in the United States illegally, the report shows.

According to the report, Cisneros responded "yes," and the officer called ICE, "in accordance with prior requests from ICE to contact them on instances such as these."

Cisneros spoke directly with ICE officials via the officer's cellphone, before federal officials informed the officer they would respond to his location to pick up Cisneros, the report shows.

Three other teens were riding with Cisneros, one of whom had been reported as a runaway and was turned over to Chandler police.

The other two, Omar Galvez-Alejandro, 16, or Johany A. Nafarrate, 17, said they only had Mexican identification at home, although Galvez-Alejandro had a broken Hamilton High School identification card with him, the report shows.

According to the report, the boys were unrestrained and had access to their cellphones as they waited for ICE agents to arrive. ICE agents talked with both boys and eventually took them into custody.

ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said the boys were returned to Mexico after agents determined they were in the country illegally and were interviewed by the Mexican Consulate's Office. In each case, a parent was contacted.

Smull said she initially was concerned that racial profiling may have been involved but said the situation was handled appropriately after speaking with police Chief Tim Dorn.

She said she opposes racial profiling and thinks a written policy may be needed to ensure such sensitive issues are handled appropriately.

Smull said she plans to address the issue at the commission's April meeting.



Republic reporter Daniel González contributed to this article.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 6Z12.html#

Originally Posted by NoIllegalsAllowed

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"We do not go out there doing roundups or looking for immigration violations," he said. "We're just out there doing normal (police) business."

According to a police report released Thursday, police stopped 16-year-old Jaime Alonzo Cisneros, of Chandler, on suspicion of drag racing and driving more than 20 mph over the posted limit March 10 on Guadalupe Road near Velero Street.
Calls for comment to Cisneros' phone were not returned.

The officer asked for Cisneros' driver's license, to which he replied he did not have one, the report shows.

When the officer asked why, he said "I just don't. I have a Mexican ID," at which point the officer asked if the reason was because he was in the United States illegally, the report shows.

According to the report, Cisneros responded "yes," and the officer called ICE, "in accordance with prior requests from ICE to contact them on instances such as these."

According to the report, the boys were unrestrained and had access to their cellphones as they waited for ICE agents to arrive. ICE agents talked with both boys and eventually took them into custody.

ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said the boys were returned to Mexico after agents determined they were in the country illegally and were interviewed by the Mexican Consulate's Office. In each case, a parent was contacted.

Smull said she initially was concerned that racial profiling may have been involved but said the situation was handled appropriately after speaking with police Chief Tim Dorn.

She said she opposes racial profiling and thinks a written policy may be needed to ensure such sensitive issues are handled appropriately.

Smull said she plans to address the issue at the commission's April meeting.

A bunch of illegal alien juvenile delinquents are drag racing, don't even have licenses and that's "racial profiling"? Send these little brats back wherever they came from.

I guess Americans can say they "just don't have a driver's license" because "they just don't" and expect everything to be fine.