Roswell may soften
immigration policy
Updated: Wednesday, 05 Aug 2009, 9:37 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 05 Aug 2009, 9:37 PM MDT

Reporter: Ian Schwartz
Web Producer: Bill Diven
ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE-KBIM) - Roswell police may change a controversial immigration policy which sparked racial tension in the city in 2007 when a pregnant high school student was deported after being ticketed for a parking violation.

The change would mean Roswell police could not contact or detain a person on the sole basis of investigating their immigration status.

This would include victims, witnesses and persons reporting crimes.

"We feel the city police should not be doing the job of ICE or immigration," Rev. Juan Montoya of The Alliance for Peace and Justice said.

The group has been pushing for policy change in the city.

"There are a lot of petty burglaries, drugs, violence and people being shot," Montoya said. "We feel we need our police to be taking care of those things to make us safer."

Though the policy would prohibit immigration status inquiries on minor traffic offenses, it would allow officers to contact immigration authorities if a person was placed under arrest.

Montoya said many crimes go unsolved because witnesses are worried their immigration status will come into question if they talk to police. "They are afraid to report a crime," he added.

The police policy sparked protests in 2007 when Karina Acosta, 18, was ticketed for blocking a fire lane outside Roswell High School. When the officer found out the RHS senior was not in the country legally, he called immigration authorities who deported Acosta to Mexico.

The policy change has not been approved yet. The police committee will meet in September to discuss it further.

The Albuquerque Police Department already has a policy that sets definite limits on when officers can call immigration about illegal immigrants they arrest.

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