http://www.latimes.com

See the following article for more information.

https://www.alipac.us/ftopict-17839-depot.html

EDITORIALS

A silly sting

March 6, 2006

THE CITY OF ORANGE now has eight fewer illegal immigrants — for a couple of days, anyway. But it also has hundreds more illegal immigrants who are newly frightened of police after nine men who were looking for day jobs at a Home Depot parking lot were arrested Feb. 24 and (except for one) turned over to

federal authorities for possible deportation.

The city of 140,000 has an ordinance forbidding people from soliciting work outdoors. Officials know better than to try to enforce it on public property because courts have ruled that asking about potential jobs on public land is protected free speech — but on private property job seekers are fair game.

Orange police, in response to telephone complaints from residents, sent two vehicles to the Home Depot parking lot, where there is a sign spelling out the new ordinance. In the first car was an undercover cop posing as a possible employer; when the day laborers came over, a police van pulled in and officers arrested the job seekers.

A sting to ensnare men looking for work? This must be a city where the police have time enough to coax cats from trees. Orange authorities have better things to do than enforce federal immigration laws. If soliciting work was the real problem, officers could have cited the men and been done with it; instead, they took the time and trouble to drag the ones without proof of legal residency off to the Border Patrol.

Many Americans have legitimate gripes against illegal immigration. And sometimes, job hopefuls at gathering sites do harass drivers and passersby. But this bust was counterproductive at best: Illegal immigrants will be back within days. Job seekers will learn to stick to public sidewalks, where police cannot stop them. They will continue to look for work.

There are far worse crimes committed in Orange than public job hunting or failing to carry a green card. But now illegal immigrants will be much less willing to report them, or help police solve them, because they will perceive cops as wannabe Border Patrol agents. That's not good for anyone in Orange — especially the police.