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Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - 9:39:38 PM PST

Movement to start state border police under way
Initiative needs signatures, vote

By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer

An effort is under way to create a separate California police force to help federal officials patrol the state's border with Mexico and enforce all immigration laws statewide.
Beyond Borders: A Special Report on Immigration

If ultimately approved by voters, the "California Border Police Initiative," announced Wednesday by Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Temecula, would create a new agency whose hired officers and trained volunteers would be strictly devoted to enforcing immigration laws.

The initiative is the first of its kind in the nation, Haynes said.

"It would give people a sense of control over the system," Haynes said, noting that the federal government has failed to secure the nation's borders and enforce immigration laws. "People know there are problems with illegal immigration. They feel it's out of control, and they can't get anyone to do anything about it."

Haynes' initiative which declares a state of emergency in California would allow the "California Border Police" to hire, train and deploy personnel and establish a program to train and deploy volunteers to help perform its duties.

It would also pave the way for construction of new jail facilities, where illegal immigrants would be detained until they are deported by the federal government.

The initiative was announced as groups across the country have organized their own civilian patrols to monitor illegal border crossings.

Immigration laws are usually enforced by federal officials, but state and local agencies are allowed to negotiate with the federal government to acquire tools to enforce immigration laws, as long as they pay for them.

The border police force would be trained to arrest and detain anyone caught breaking the law, and hold any individual who has entered the state illegally until the federal government takes possession of the person. They would use any means available to enforce the law, Haynes said.

"Sweeps is one of them, enforcing the laws against employers is another, patrolling the border is a third," Haynes said. "I want them to use every single tool that's available to them to enforce the law."

The state is spending an estimated $10 billion a year on illegal immigration, Haynes said. The costs to create such a force could run between $500 million and $1 billion a year, but it is expected to save billions in the future, he said.

Once the Attorney General titles the initiative, Haynes said he hopes to gather the nearly 600,000 signatures required for the June 2006 ballot. The assemblyman also introduced the measure this week as a state constitutional amendment.

But not everyone agrees with the proposal.

A Border Patrol union representative said the focus to deter illegal immigration should be on enforceable employer sanctions, which requires changes to the law.

Such sanctions would make it clear that "unless (illegal immigrants) have a secure ID, employers won't hire them, because they are afraid of the consequences. There are no consequences now," said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Others, such as Friends of the Border Patrol Chairman Andy Ramirez, say that rather than creating a new agency, citizens and their representatives should fully support the Border Patrol so they can more aggressively handle illegal immigration.

Latino rights activist and UC Riverside Professor Armando Navarro said he believes that such an initiative could create a "police state," similar to George Orwell's "1984."

"The state is not responsible for immigration law, and this, from my perspective, is unconstitutional," Navarro said.

The initiative can be found at www.RescueCalifornia.com

Brenda Gazzar can be reached by e-mail brenda.gazzar@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9355.