Pols in Suffolk County Find Ways to Crack Down on Immigrants
WNYC Newsroom

NEW YORK, NY March 02, 2007

Suffolk County elected officials are working on more ways to crack down on immigrants without legal papers. Federal immigration officials will now work inside the county's jail, where Suffolk's Executive Steve Levy says ten percent of the inmates are illegal immigrants.

LEVY: This problem stems from the federal government's abdication of its responsibility regarding our borders. And it shouldn't be left to the locals to have to pay through property taxes to deal with the burden on their jails and emergency rooms and schools and in overcrowded housing.

REPORTER: And the legislature is working on a viable bill to keep day-laborers from waiting for work on county roads. Foster Maer of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund says similar legislation has been found unconstitutional.

MAER: Why are they targeting people who are looking for work in such a systemic and nasty way, and we think it's because they don't like the people standing on their corners because of their race And we're very concerned about that.

REPORTER: In addition, businesses that have contracts with Suffolk County will soon be asked to prove with the County will soon be asked to prove their employees are legal.


http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/74591