Thread: Patrick kills Romney's Plan

Patrick looks to prisons to deport illegal cons
By Casey Ross
Boston Herald Reporter

Thursday, January 11, 2007 - Updated: 02:19 PM EST

Gov. Deval Patrick today killed an agreement brokered by Gov. Romney to allow state police to arrest illegal immigrants, replacing it with a more narrow arrangement to expedite deportation of illegal residents convicted of crimes in the Bay State.

Patrick said the new policy, to be implemented through a pact between state and federal officials, will strengthen enforcement of immigration laws without overburdening state police with responsibilities that are exclusively under the scope of federal authorities.

During a press conference, Patrick said the plan “strikes the right balance between our responsibility toensure public safety and our responsibility to respond to the concerns about illegal immigration and to partner where we can with our federal counterparts.”

Patrick’s public safety secretary, Kevin M. Burke, said 12 correction officers at MCI Concord and MCI Framingham will be trained to handle immigration enforcement duties that would enable them to begin deportation proceedings against criminals found to be in the country illegally. The facilities at Concord and Framingham are the state’s two entry points for all convicted criminals.

The decision reverses the course set by former Gov. Romney, who signed a pact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would have allowed state police to arrest people found to be in the country illegally, and then move to deport them prior to a criminal conviction.

Burke suggested state police officials were cold to Romney’s idea from the get-go. “When asked by the (Patrick) administration what affect (the agreement) would have on these people performing their duties . . . the state police indicated it would have a negative impact for various reasons,” he said.

Patrick has repeatedly said the Romney agreement, which is only in place in a few other states across the country, would stretch the resources of state troopers who are already scrambling to deal with their current work load. He also has said the pact would undermine public safety by discouraging illegal immigrants from reporting crimes or cooperating with investigations.

But even as the new governor formally killed Romney’s plan today, Patrick said he will consider expanding his own plan in ways that move it closer to the intent of Romney’s. He said, for example, that he will explore expanding immigration enforcement training to county sheriffs who detain people prior to conviction, meaning that he could begin deporting illegal immigrants prior to a guilty finding, a policy that would surely enrage immigrant advocates.

Patrick cautioned, however, that he is far from implementing such a policy.

“There are a lot more issues to be thought through on these cases,” he said

http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolit ... eid=176597

Governor Patrick and Lt.Governor Murray would love to hear from you. You can call or write to the addresses provided below.
Send us your ideas!

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utiliti ... contact_us

State House
Office of the Governor
Office of the Lt. Governor
Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: (617) 725-4005
(88 870-7770 (instate use only)
FAX: (617) 727-9725
TTY: (617) 727-3666

Washington D.C.
Office of the Governor
444 N. Capitol Street, Suite 208
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: (202) 624-7713
FAX: (202) 624-7714