Thread: R.I.: Providence police union endorses immigration order

Providence police union endorses immigration order

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 10, 2008

By Gregory Smith

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — The labor union that represents the city police has endorsed Governor Carcieri’s executive order on illegal immigration that urges state and local law enforcement officers to take steps to enforce federal immigration law.

The endorsement puts the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 3, at odds with Dean M. Esserman, the police chief, who has refused to implement Carcieri’s order.

Directive number 6 of the governor’s order, which was issued two weeks ago, states: “It is urged that all enforcement officials, including state and local law enforcement agencies, take steps to support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by investigating and determining the immigration status of all noncitizens taken into custody, incarcerated, or under investigation for any crime and notifying federal authorities of all illegal immigrants discovered as a result of such investigations.â€

We’re sworn to enforce the law,â€

Hats off to the police union for endorsing common sense.

Esserman has said that he and other urban police chiefs are concerned that victims of crime and witnesses to crime who happen to be in the United States illegally will not cooperate with the police if cooperation will jeopardize their presence here

Do they co-operate or give information now the majority of the time?
How many times are officers and other authorities given false names or false information due to intimidation by or protection of gangs?



The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt