Sound approach on immigration

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/26/07
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 60351/1029

State Attorney General Anne Milgram's new directive for police to routinely check the immigration status of people arrested for indictable crimes or drunken driving and to report them to federal authorities if they are here unlawfully is a good first step in addressing some of the problems caused by illegal immigration.

Milgram's directive will apply pressure on federal authorities to take responsibility for illegal immigrants charged with serious violations of the law. Milgrim limited local law enforcement's authority to checking a person's status after an arrest for a serious offense. That should ease concerns that officers will patrol towns looking for illegal immigrants or worries that law enforcement agencies will be overwhelmed. Police will not be allowed to check the status of crime victims or those who report crimes. That should remove any fears that illegal immigrants won't come forward for fear of deportation.

Milgram also gave the green light for communities to participate in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that trains and essentially deputizes local or county police officers. Morristown is the only municipality in New Jersey that has applied. Towns with a heavy influx of illegal immigrants and those housing "muster zones" would be well advised to sign up.

The federal government has failed the states, counties and towns by doing nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Milgrim's directive rightly shifts the responsibility back to them.

Had such a policy been in place earlier, twice-indicted Jose Carranza would have been on the radar of immigration officials long before the murders of three Newark college students. Carranza has been charged in the Newark killings. His status, and his easy access to bail on a host of serious charges, is a painful example of why Milgram's policy was needed.

The state will monitor police departments for compliance and issue reports on how often notifications are made. A Citizenship and Immigration Services director dismissed concerns that the Newark field office would be overwhelmed by the influx of reports pouring in, saying it had the resources and staff to handle additional calls. Someone from Milgram's office should be assigned to work as a liaison between local and federal authorities and track the disposition of the referrals.

Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello says officers also should be able to inquire about people arrested for disorderly persons charges. We agree, but not until the program has been implemented long enough to determine the ability of law enforcement to handle the additional workload. Milgram is right to allow a pattern of cooperation between the agencies to develop. Monitoring and analyzing the results is the obvious next step.