Thread: NJ-Morristown immigrants fearful of new federal enforcement

Morristown immigrants fearful of new federal enforcement policy
by Tanya Drobness
Kevin Coughlin


Monday July 13, 2009, 6:08 PM


Two Morristown police officers -- Special Officer Nancy Heykoop and Police Chief Pete Demnitz -- walk the streets of town in this file photo from November 2008.
MORRISTOWN -- Camilo Sarmiento, who left his family in Ecuador seven years ago to find stable work in America, said he had relied on Morristown's immigrant community and the town's police to keep him safe.

Now he won't call the cops for anything.

With the town poised to take part in a federal program that would allow local police officers to act as immigration agents, the legal resident was one of many immigrants on the streets of Morristown today who said they feared the onset of the new police power.

"I came here for opportunity, and I contribute to my community. But now they are looking at us like criminals, and we're not criminals," Sarmiento said in Spanish after walking into a general store on Speedwell Avenue.

"I am very scared," the 26-year-old bus boy said. "They are attacking Hispanics."

Under a revamped initiative announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, town police are allowed to be deputized to enforce immigration laws to catch "criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety or danger to the community."

The Morristown Police Department and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office are set to participate in the overhauled federal program, known as 287G. Those officers, as well as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, will be able initiate deportation proceedings against illegal aliens connected with serious crimes.

Morristown's police department was among only 11 departments nationwide accepted into the program.

Just days after the announcement, the news buzzed throughout Morristown's Latino community, as immigrants said they would be hesitant to cooperate with local police for fear their undocumented relatives and friends would be targeted for deportation.

"If there is a problem, we won't go to the police," said Alba Lorena Monsalve, a native of Colombia who works at Avila Multiservices Express on Speedwell Avenue.

Monsalve added that the program would hurt the local economy because immigrants would not want to launch businesses in a town where they feel discriminated against.

"This community moves with immigrants. They have stores, restaurants and bakeries. This society won't grow with that fear," she said.

Day laborers sitting on the grass today at Morristown's train station said they are afraid the program will balk their chances of getting work because they are scared of being seen at certain times of the day when they are more susceptible of being caught by police.

"They will catch us for whatever reason," said 36-year-old Hector Ramirez, a native of Honduras, whose comments were echoed by 38-year-old Rafael DeJesus Santos Lopez: "They just want to clean Morristown of Hispanics. That's what it is."

"How are we going to have a safe community if people are afraid to call the police?" asked Diana Mejia, co-founder of Morristown-based Wind of the Spirit immigration resource center. "This not only affects the immigrant community, this will affect the entire town of Morristown," said Mejia, who for years has been fighting for immigrants' rights.

She is worried immigrants will be prime for victimization.

"It's very sad," Mejia said. "They will criminalize undocumented immigrants and will target innocent people."

She said she is already creating a program for people who have questions about 287G. "We need to educate the community and make sure people are not afraid," Mejia said. "We will work together and stay united in an immigrant community."

In March, Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello signed an agreement with federal officials to enroll the town into the controversial program.

Cresitello made national headlines two years ago by trying to deputize town police to enforce federal immigration laws, sparking protests by immigration advocacy groups in the state.

The federal program at that time required the town to have a jail to house people detained for violating immigration law. But county officials declined to enter an agreement with the town to allow use of the Morris County Jail, after an internal report outlined a list of potential negatives, such as a need for additional jail staff and overtime, plus undetermined medical and litigation costs.

Cresitello has said a new agreement sent to him has eliminated the need for his town to have a designated lockup. Detained immigrants could be sent directly to a federal facility, he said.

Morristown Police Chief Pete Demnitz said the township already has a "good relationship" with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who cooperate with township officials when undocumented individuals are involved criminal matters.

"What we're doing now seems to be very affective," said Demnitz, adding that some officers have expressed interest in the program.

If the program is implemented, between six and 10 of the township's 58 police officers would be trained and deputized to act as immigration agents, he said.

But the cost of putting the officers through the five-week program is a major concern because of probable cuts in the municipal budget, Demnitz said.

"My concern now is based on these hard economic times," Demnitz said. "We would need the technological systems supplied by ICE. It will cost the town. . . There will have to be a lot of discussions before decisions are made."

Morristown Republican mayoral candidate Jimmy Gervasio said he would enforce the program if elected. "It's another tool for law enforcement officials that is there to protect every citizen," Gervasio said.

Morristown Democratic mayoral candidate Tim Dougherty did not return calls for comment.

http://www.nj.com/morristown/index.ssf/ ... arful.html

I hope they all go home where they can feel safe!

Gotta love these sob stories. An IMMIGRANT that is here legally has nothing to fear, so that means these freaked-out Hispanics afraid to accost Americans for work are here illegally.
Americans don't have any more tears left for this type of immigrant, so get over it and go home, or get arrested and go home.

Nothing to fear if you are here illegally. Americans welcome legal immigrants but are insulted, offended, and downright PO'd that ILLEGAL Aliens are even here, much less MAKING DEMANDS of OUR NATION and STEALING our resources/benefits....

I’ll run through the checklist of things I noticed:

1) Sob story - Check
2) Illegal aliens being called and considered “Immigrantsâ€

Match donation challenge!

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-162707.html

"It's very sad," Mejia said. "They will criminalize undocumented immigrants and will target innocent people."

Because they are criminals you moron...


She said she is already creating a program for people who have questions about 287G. "We need to educate the community and make sure people are not afraid," Mejia said. "We will work together and stay united in an immigrant community."


There is nothing to 'educate' them about. The party's over! Stay united as you all go back where you came from...is all you need to know.

"If there is a problem, we won't go to the police," said Alba Lorena Monsalve, a native of Colombia who works at Avila Multiservices Express on Speedwell Avenue.

Hopefully...when there is a "problem" the police will come anyway and do their job...and if you're an illegal who has committed a crime..you will be identified, detained, prosecuted and deported. It's that simple. If they don't like living in their alleged "fear" then they shouldn't have had the audacity or "courage" to pay a human smuggler to smuggle them across a dangerous and violent border teeming with criminal drug gangs and human traffickers....then they should have the courage to go home on their own terms as soon as possible and live in peace.

"I came here for opportunity, and I contribute to my community. But now they are looking at us like criminals, and we're not criminals," Sarmiento said in Spanish after walking into a general store on Speedwell Avenue.

"I am very scared," the 26-year-old bus boy said. "They are attacking Hispanics."

But you really are "criminals!" Yea, we have seen what you "contribute to the community!" We're not so impressed!

Finally, we're not "attacking hispanics," we're going after illegals! Stop it with the hysterics! It's not our fault that vast majority of those just happen to be hispanic! Not our fault. Illegal is illegal!

Propaganda!!! you are here illegally it is time to go home, Americans need the jobs!

If you all only worked this hard in your own country you could make a difference there and help others there while doing it!