Princeton Council considering plan to become "sanctuary city" .

Princeton Council considering plan to become "sanctuary city" and order police not to enforce federal immigration law

By Jon Offredo/The Times of Trenton The Times, Trenton
on July 05, 2013 at 8:01 AM, updated July 05, 2013 at 8:04 AM
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http://media.nj.com/centraljersey_im...7633-large.jpgThe new Princeton logo designed by town resident Jeff Leonard. Leonard beat out 74 other entries in a contest to design the new logo used by the consolidated Princeton. courtesy photo
PRINCETON — A council subcommittee is working on plan to clearly signal the town’s opposition to federal immigration policies and laws by declaring Princeton a “sanctuary city” and continuing a long-standing policy of barring police enforcement of such laws.
Princeton would join other communities in the area, including Trenton and Hightstown, that have made similar statements.
A resolution that the council’s Human Services Subcommittee is working on would say the town police are not required to conduct immigration checks during traffic stops and other incidents or participate in immigration raids by federal agents.
Councilwoman Heather Howard, the council’s liaison to the subcommittee, said that by becoming a sanctuary city, Princeton would provide clarity on the role of the police and make an important policy statement to reassure the community of the town’s role.
“You want the city to not lose faith in its police department and to not be worried about local police enforcing immigration law,” she said. “We don’t want people to be afraid to report crimes or be witnesses because of their immigration status.”
Princeton’s Hispanic population has grown steadily in recent years, from about 6 percent in 2000 to 8.5 percent now, according to combined census data for the former Princeton Township and Borough, which merged in January.
Princeton has not seen many federal immigration enforcement actions the way Trenton has, said Maria Juega, executive director of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. But as possible changes loom from proposed federal immigration reform, local authorities need to clearly define their role and residents need to understand the difference between local police and federal agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she said.
LALDEF is assisting the Princeton subcommittee as it crafts a resolution.
“What we’re trying to do in Princeton is clarify the role of police and make a clear line of demarcation of what the local police do and what immigration authorities do,” Juega said. “We’re trying to make it clearer. It’s becoming fuzzier and fuzzier, and that’s not good for anyone.”
But she said the term “sanctuary city” is misleading, since local laws do not affect federal enforcement, and it distracts from what local governments are actually trying to do.
Professor Doug Massey of Princeton University’s Office of Population Research said declaring sanctuary city status is a symbolic gesture of opposition to U.S. immigration policy and a gesture of support to the local immigrant community.
“But it really doesn’t have any effect on how, when, and with what energy immigration law is enforced,” he said in an e-mail. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement will do what it wants to regardless of local cooperation and was earlier quite active in Princeton arresting Guatemalans who did not respond to deportation orders after Congress let their temporary protected status expire. On these raids, Princeton police basically stood by.”
After one such ICE raid in Princeton Borough in October 2004, officials said the action had damaged the borough’s relationship with its growing Hispanic community. Four borough officers stood by as agents from ICE corralled eight allegedly illegal Hispanic immigrants during a pre-dawn raid of a home on Witherspoon Street. Some of the immigrants were deported, Juega said.
Princeton police Capt. Nick Sutter said this week that, in accordance with borough police, the police did not enforce immigration law during the incident and were only on hand to provide assistance to the affected families.
“We absolutely and unequivocally do not engage in these types of enforcement acts,” Sutter said. “When we’re at a scene, it’s outside of the area that is being investigated and we’re there to communicate and assist with the families involved. It is tragic to a family when a member is removed and there is fallout.”
He said police do see some anxiety in the Hispanic community’s dealings with officers, and said he hopes a new town policy would further improve relations. Sanctuary city status would not change much in police department policy, but would serve as an extension of community policing efforts, he said.
“You have to understand that the police department does not have any jurisdiction, authority or a want to be involved in federal immigration laws,” Sutter said. “It’s just not something we want to be involved in. It’s not part of our mission.”
Under department policy, police do not ask about a person’s immigration status at all except when required to by law in certain criminal situations. For example, an officer would not ask the immigration status of someone who is pulled over for speeding — but they would ask if the person was driving drunk or committing another crime, Sutter said.
The Princeton police have a job to do, but they are not in the business of disrupting people going about their everyday lives, he said.
“I feel very strongly about this — that people in our community trust us and believe that immigration enforcement is not our charge and our mission, and we’re not going to engage in it,” Sutter said.
Contact Jon Offredo at joffredo@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5680

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/07/council_will_consider_declaring_princeton_a_sanctu ary_city_barring_local_police_enforcement_of_immig .html

"It is tragic to a family when a member is removed and there is fallout.”
He said police do see some anxiety in the Hispanic community’s dealings with officers, and said he hopes a new town policy would further improve relations."

These families knew the risk before coming here and chose to take that risk. It is their own fault and no one elses.