Mayor examines local immigration policy
Posted at: 04/27/2010 6:26 PM
By: Stuart Dyson


Albuquerque's mayor takes a closer look at the police department's policy on illegal immigrants as nationwide controversy continues over Arizona's tough new immigration law.

"What you're seeing in Arizona is a similar reaction to when you see our governor having to send troops down to the southern border of New Mexico," said Mayor Richard Berry on Tuesday. "That's different types of reaction to the fact that the federal government isn't taking care of immigration reform and they need to do that."

Under the city's current policy, APD officers have the discretion to call federal immigration agents after an arrest if they think the person's immigration status is pertinent to the criminal investigation. Immigration officials routinely check the Bernalillo County jail for prisoners who are foreign born, putting a "hold" on people who are here illegally.

"Reasonable suspicion" is the key part of the controversial Arizona law. If it survives legal challenges it will require police in that state to question people about their immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

Rachel LaZar of El Centro, an Albuquerque immigrants' rights group, says the Albuquerque policy is significantly different from the Arizona law. "The issues in New Mexico have had to do with what happens when somebody is already under arrest," said LaZar.

"I'm optimistic that New Mexico is better than that, Albuquerque is better than that, and we are not going to go in this direction," Lazar said.


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