Thread: Police say feds should enforce immigration laws

Police say feds should enforce immigration laws
The Associated Press • July 1, 2009

Read Comments(3)
CORAL GABLES — Three leaders from police departments in national immigration hot spots said Wednesday the federal government should remove the burden of enforcement from local agencies if it wants to fix the immigration system.


Chiefs John Timoney of Miami and Art Acevedo of Austin, Texas; and former Chief Art Venegas of Sacramento, Calif., called for an increased federal presence along the border and stricter enforcement of employment laws during a panel discussion organized by America's Voice, a group that advocates immigration reform.


Acevedo said police departments are stretched too thin. When officers should be responding to crime scenes, he said, they're outside stores ensuring illegal immigrants aren't hired.


"Police are tied up outside of places where people are looking for work when there are crimes going on," Acevedo said. "It's a matter of resources and priorities."


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reviewing its immigration and border security policies, including those relating to state and local law enforcement, spokesman Matt Chandler wrote in a statement to The Associated Press. Partnerships between the federal government and local law enforcement have led to improvements in enforcing illegal immigration, he said.


The Austin chief said "economic immigrants" -- people who come to the U.S. in search of employment or a better life -- shouldn't be treated as criminals. They're in violation of civil statutes, not criminal laws, he said.


The chiefs said they wouldn't turn a blind eye to crimes committed by illegal residents but denied such crime was a major concern in their precincts. Timoney, who came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant with his family at 13, said there is often less crime in the immigrant communities because of fear of deportation.


But that fear also hurts law enforcement efforts, the chiefs said.


"We cannot have a whole community of people afraid of coming forward when the time is absolutely critical to solving a case," Venegas said.

www.news-press.com

Looks like Austin needs a new police chief.



Get after it Texas. This is BS Supreme.

Chiefs John Timoney of Miami and Art Acevedo of Austin, Texas; and former Chief Art Venegas of Sacramento, Calif.

They all work for Sanctuary Cities, what do you expect them to say?

A wise man does not participate in a foolish man's folly.

Dixie

The same crap they say here in Houston. Unfortunately those of us who live, work and pay taxes here feel it is up to the CITY to take care of criminal problems first. That is what we elect them for and pay them to do.

Yes, the federal government SHOULD take care of illegal immigration. But they don't so citizens look to their local governments for help. These law enforcement officers need to look at who they serve and who pays their salaries and reconsider their position.

This statement that enforcing our immgration laws is the federal government's job is ridiculous. The Federal government does not have the resources, nor the manpower to enforce our immigration laws all by themselves. It takes all our law enforcement officers, state, federal and local working together.