Thread: Border efforts criticized less

Border efforts criticized less
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Article Launched: 05/19/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT


AUSTIN -- Texas has awarded nearly $20 million in grants this year to local police and sheriff's departments to continue border security operations that started more than two years ago.
In El Paso, where local departments have received more than $2 million this year, the operations have received less criticism recently than they did initially when some in the community alleged officers targeted immigrant communities.

"Things are changing," said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights. "It's been a long and a slow process, but these things are changing in a very positive way."

Gov. Rick Perry began funding state-led border security operations 2006, and so far has sent about $34 million in federal grants to local law enforcement agencies for border-crime fighting, spokeswoman Krista Piferrer said.

Last year, lawmakers approved another $110 million Perry requested in state money for the operations. Much of it went to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Some also was allocated for grants to pay local officers overtime to patrol the border.

Piferrer said $19.9 million has been awarded to local police and sheriff's departments.

Deputy Jesse Tovar, spokesman for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, said the focus of the department's border security efforts is not illegal immigration.

Most of the $2 million the department has been awarded is set aside for increased patrols that make officers more visible, deter crime and improve

response times.
Occasionally, Tovar said, the department conducts checkpoints to see if drivers are licensed and insured.

"We really don't have them as much as people would think," he said.

The El Paso Police Department also is participating in border operations. Sgt. Robert Gomez said the department has used its funds to reduce auto thefts and to conduct checks of southbound traffic at the international bridges.

"They focused more on types of crimes and where we could be most effective," Gomez said.

The state funds are supporting Operation Border Star, the current name of Operation Linebacker, an effort that began as the brainchild of former El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego.

That operation sent shockwaves through much of the immigrant community in El Paso County after deputies set up checkpoints and allegedly asked drivers and their passengers about their citizenship status.

"The fear factor was definitely there," said Pamela Vaughan, a leader with Border Interfaith.

Reports showed deputies turned undocumented immigrants over to U.S. Border Patrol much more often than they arrested criminals.

Some border lawmakers urged Perry to rein in the border sheriffs and stop them from using money to enforce immigration laws, which is a federal responsibility.

Samaniego said his officers were not enforcing federal immigration laws or targeting undocumented immigrants. Still, critics petitioned for his ouster.

But Garcia and Vaughan said Samaniego began meeting with community leaders and agreed checkpoints would not be conducted near schools or during rush hour, that older vehicles would not be targeted, and that deputies would not use abusive language or ask for proof of citizenship.

Since Samaniego's death late last year, they said Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca has continued that agreement and dialog with the community is improving.

Garcia said, "We haven't seen the amount of cases or the patterns like we were seeing a couple years ago."

Vaughn said those in the immigrant community -- in the U.S. illegally and legally -- who had feared reporting crimes at the risk of seeing their friends or family members deported, are feeling safer.

And, she said, they are optimistic the sheriff elected in November will continue the trend. "With more meetings and more dialog," Vaughn said, "I think in a short period of time, the community will see change and feel change."

Brandi Grissom can be reached at bgrissom@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.







http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9306346

But Garcia and Vaughan said Samaniego began meeting with community leaders and agreed checkpoints would not be conducted near schools or during rush hour, that older vehicles would not be targeted, and that deputies would not use abusive language or ask for proof of citizenship.

No check points during "rush hour" or no "older" vehicles would be targeted.


So I guess we are to infer that illegals have a tendency to drive "older" vehicles and that they should receive a free pass if they are on their way home from work or picking up their anchor babies at school.

In other words, the police will be looking for American citizens and doing everything in their power to make sure illegals are not identified and held responsible for their crimes.

More open borders reasoning at it's worst...