Thread: OBL po'ed because NM sheriff enforces the law

Immigrant roundup erodes trust with sheriff
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_6920173?so ... st_emailed


By Raymundo Eli Rojas
Article Launched: 09/18/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

Recently, the Otero County, New Mexico sheriff began scouring the town of Chaparral, N.M. for undocumented immigrants. Local law enforcement acting as the border patrol is a bad idea.

In general, law enforcement strives to gain the trust of the public. In fact, the Otero County Sheriff's Web site uses the word "trust" many times. By playing border patrol, local law enforcement erodes whatever trust they have in the community. Soon this will spread to other public services like hospitals, fire departments, and schools.

The ramifications can spread even to non-immigrant Latinos because incidents of racial profiling by local authorities are bound to rise. Ultimately, the safety of the public at-large will be negatively affected. Gang activity will be on the rise. Extortion against immigrants who fear the police will happen more and more.

Sound too far fetched?

We have already seen the growth of gang problems in Texas-New Mexico border communities. This behavior by the Otero County Sheriff will shut the door on victims and complainants.

It may look good on paper for the Otero County Sheriff to enforce immigration law, but it is in direct conflict with the goals of community-oriented policing.

I'm sure the Otero County Sheriff is interested in diversity and expanding community relationships. This behavior puts those efforts in jeopardy.
Complicating the issue is the fact that many family members are of mix immigration status. Some are citizens, other residents, and still others are undocumented. The Immigration Policy Center said in a recent national study, roughly 4.9 million children in the United States live in households headed by undocumented immigrants. About 3.1 million of these children are U.S. born. Families become split in traumatic ways.

I say, lets educate law enforcement on the reasons for not inquiring about immigration status. They should be educated on the protections under immigration law for crime victims such as survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Authorities need to realize that if they enforce immigration law, a civil violation, they subject victims of crime to further trauma. Victims of domestic violence will not call.

Fear of law enforcement will inevitably affect you and me in very direct ways. Your neighbor will not call police if he sees suspicious behavior outside of your home or if your house is on fire. Assaults and rapes may go unreported.

Also, enforcement of immigration law by local law enforcement has the potential civil rights lawsuits. Many communities across the nation have seen how expensive it can be to mount a defense to subsequent lawsuits.

We want to keep everybody safe. For that reason, law enforcement needs to stay close to the community, including immigrant communities. They cannot alienate themselves if they depend on people to help solve crime and investigate terrorism.

Raymundo El' Rojas is executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas.

Commentary: Operation strays from stated goals
By Walter Rubel
Article Launched: 09/23/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_6973698

When the federal government expanded Operation Stonegarden last year, the stated purpose was to provide funding to local law enforcement agencies so they could assist federal agents in combating terrorism along the border.

"Under the auspices of the (Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program), (the Department of Homeland Security) plans to reinitiate the highly successful Operation Stonegarden as a means of improving border security and countering the terrorist threat," the feds said in a statement last summer.

No terrorists were rounded up last week in Chaparral. There were, however, 28 mothers, fathers, neighbors and co-workers snagged in the net.

The Otero County sheriff said the operation simply involved officers doing routine patrols, and then asking about the immigration status after a stop had been made for some other reason.

"We, at no time, profile," Otero County Sheriff John Blansett insisted at a news conference last week called to defend the roundup.

How, exactly, does that work? Let's say I was traveling through Chaparral with a broken tail light during the middle of the operation and got pulled over. Will I, with my blond hair, blue eyes and middle-America speech pattern, be subjected to the same line of questioning as an Hispanic driver? If not, isn't that profiling? If so, isn't that ridiculous?

I should hasten to add here that I don't blame the sheriff's officers who participated in this operation. I just think they are being put in an impossible position.

The primary responsibility of local law enforcement should be to enhance the safety of the communities they serve. Instilling fear within the residents of those communities — whether they are here legally or not — will have the exact opposite effect.

If people are afraid to have any interaction with local law enforcement, they become easy targets for violent criminals. And, having a community full of fearful victims creates a breeding ground for predators.

That is why it should be the responsibility of the federal government to secure the border and enforce immigration laws, not the local sheriffs.


[i]Walter Rubel has been a newsman for more than 25 years and is managing editor of the Sun-News. He can be reached at wrubel@lcsun-news.com.[ /i]