Thread: RI- Immigrant focus puts police in tough spot

Immigrant focus puts police in tough spot

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, August 24, 2008

BY Amanda Milkovits

Journal Staff Writer

A police officer stops a car for a minor traffic violation and asks the driver for his license and registration. The driver has an expired license and speaks little English. The three passengers are uneasy and uncommunicative.

The officer needs to know who the driver is and whether he is wanted for any crimes. Should the officer also ask what country the driver is from and whether he’s a legal citizen here? Should he ask the same questions of the passengers?

This was the kind of scenario discussed by police commanders from around Rhode Island last week at a seminar sponsored by the state police.

For police, dealing with the complexities of illegal immigration requires striking a balance between civil liberties and upholding the law, says Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney, the president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association.


Police officials interviewed recently by The Journal say they are caught in the middle of the heated and unresolved national debate over illegal immigration. Immigrant advocates sometimes accuse them of racial profiling when they arrest an illegal immigrant for a crime or assist U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Advocates for stricter enforcement of immigration laws pressure them to raid businesses suspected of employing illegal immigrants.

The police officials say they are only interested in arresting criminals; if they find the suspects are also illegal immigrants, they’ll contact ICE for further action.

“I’m not a zealot. I’m not planning on raiding any factories. I’m not planning on setting my troopers on the highway looking for illegals,â€

First these judges that let criminals walk are sending a very loud message to anyone thinking of coming here illegally--rape, theft, drunken driving, not a problem--go ahead an join your buddies down at Pablo's or Vladimir's. These judges need their own version of 287 (g) training.
Second, someone should take a serious look at the finger-pointing between local law enforcement and the feds. Is there not a sane person left in authority to be appointed inspector general to solve some of these problems and cut through the red tape? Of course, it will require an investigation and simultaneous studies, but I would rather have my tax dollars spent on something like that that supporting th UN, aid to every nation on the earthball, or going to armaments to fight foreign wars, or spent on fuel by our feds when officials go on vacations.

The police have every right to ask all of the people in the car any questions that they need to ask them in order to get to the truth. Illegals should be treated the same as any other criminals.

You want to talk about racial profiling? Then stop using teh word Hispanic or Latino because that's not a race, that's just prevaricating, obfuscating!

By the way since on on race, nearly 50% if not exactly 50% of so-called Hispanices are white caucasians! Take a look at the telenovellas by way.

Hispanic, Latino etc are labels used by the census bureau for ease of classification and leveraged by cynical socio ethno centric groups greedy for power using our system to peddle FALSE civil rights issues!

"Is there not a sane person left in authority to be appointed inspector general to solve some of these problems and cut through the red tape?"

In my opinion, very few, until their family becomes a victim!!!!!!!!!!

ACLU and GALEO, LULAC, etc, do make life very difficult for the police. President Bush has made it even tougher. He has shoe polish on his lips from licking Mexican boots.

The police arent profiling or looking for illegals based on skin color or someone who has a accent. If they suspect someone has committed a crime they have every right to question them no matter what their nationality might be. EVERYBODY should be treated the same way, regardless of what they look like. It seems the only ones screaming that cops are racist or profiling, are the ones who have something to hide.