Thread: Rhode Island cooperates with ICE while Arpaio says no way

Rhode Island cooperates with ICE while Arpaio says no way
August 5, 7:14 PM
Carl Braun
3 comments

While Maricopa County AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio is busy fending off new regulations from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that are designed to impede his ability to fight illegal immigration, the State of Rhode Island has decided "if you can't beat them...join them."

As part of a statewide law enforcement crackdown on illegal immigration, the Rhode Island State Police, on an order from Governor Don Carcieri, have entered into an agreement with ICE to have four of their State Police Officers trained as Immigration Enforcement Officers.

That is the good news. According to an AP report, Carcieri signed an executive order last year requiring the State Police and prison system to seek the authority to enforce immigration law. It also forces the state government and companies doing business with the state to check the immigration status of new hires.

All good stuff. However cooperating with the Feds is exactly what Sheriff Joe is fighting against. Under new Obama Administration policies ICE is seeking to limit local law enforcement's authority to arresting only those illegal aliens accused of committing crimes other than crossing the border illegally. The challenge comes in where the officer cannot detain anyone unless they have committed another more serious crime like forgery, theft, murder, etc.

Equal protection under the law is a cornerstone of the US Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment yet here non-citizens receive a "get out of jail free card" for the violation of our border laws. While the Fourteenth Amendment is considered murky water by most constitutional scholars, the special treatment of illegal invaders by the Obama Administration is crystal clear. Unless you have them on other crimes, let them go.

As with nearly everything these days, the Federal Government is wielding it's mighty funding stick. If Arpaio wants to continue receiving 287(G) funding from Uncle Sam, which helps him identify illegal aliens already in prison, he must buckle down and accept the limitations of enforcement before the lawbreakers get there. This, or he loses the federal funding for the program. The Feds use this tactic with much success to get State and local government to tow the line on everything from seat belts to speed limits. It is a shame they don't have the will to exercise that same muscle with sanctuary cities that refuse to abide by Federal law.

Sheriff Joe claims to have a few tricks up his sleeve though. State Law gives him broad discretion and the County Attorney has defined local law in the Sheriff's favor. Still, if he wants the 287(G) money he will likely have to give in. His response: "I know one decision: I'm not stopping," Arpaio said. "Nothing is going to change. They can keep trying to come after me. They can keep trying to restrict me with more policies."

The chief complaint amongst critics is "racial profiling" . America's toughest sheriff has been here before and will likely be here again.

www.examiner.com

Failure to register with the Selective Service System is a federal felony--if you are male, have illegally entered the US, and were here between the ages of 18 and 26.

I'm sure there are a lot of other serious crimes--at least misdemeanors---if our law enforcement wasn't so lackadaisical. Just the human smugglers are often recklessly operating a vehicle. How many crimes of trespass do these people engage in?

Again we need to have a state level immigration police force in each state. Municipalities would liason with ICE through that instead of dealing directly.