Thread: NJ: Bogota cops could gain power over immigrants

Monday, July 23, 2007

Bogota cops could gain power over immigrants

By ELIZABETH LLORENTE
STAFF WRITER

Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, one of the state's most vocal proponents for a hard line on immigration, says he may apply for a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws.

Lonegan says that although illegal immigration is not a burning issue in his one-square-mile borough, federally deputized police officers would serve as a deterrent to would-be Bogota residents who are living in the United States unlawfully.


Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello has received national attention as he awaits a decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on his proposal to have his local police admitted into the so-called 287G program. This comes at a time when local officials across the country increasingly are making moves to address illegal immigration, citing the failure of national political leaders to reform the flawed immigration system.

"We don't have a day laborer problem like other towns in Bergen County," Lonegan said, "but we have tough loitering laws, and that discourages day laborers."

"If 287G will help Bogota and the quality of life here, if the message people get is that if you come to Bogota to live in an illegal rental unit, you might end up getting deported, then 287G makes total common sense to me."

Representatives from groups that favor strict immigration enforcement have met with Bogota's police chief and business administrator. The business administrator, Pat O'Brien, declined to comment. The police chief was said to be on vacation and could not be reached.

Law enforcement agencies at local, county and state levels who are deputized to enforce immigration laws get access to an immigration database, where they can check an immigrant's status and other information. These deputized authorities can then detain a person for immigration violations, and begin deportation proceedings against them.

Agencies in about a dozen states are part of the 287G program, but only two police departments -- in New Hampshire and Virginia -- have been admitted into it. Some 75 agencies at all levels of government have applications pending for admission, said Michael Gilhooly, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- the agency within Homeland Security that runs 287G. About 20,000 people have been placed in deportation proceedings as a result of arrests linked to 287G, Gilhooly said.

Lonegan suspects that unlawful immigrants burden the school system and contribute to his borough's growing number of illegal rental units. He said that while tenants can be reimbursed for rent paid to an unscrupulous landlord, some have not come forward to collect, and just vanished.

Lonegan's interest in deputizing the borough's police as immigration agents drew support from New Jersey groups that favor tough immigration enforcement, but condemnation from immigration advocates.

"Federal immigration authorities can't be everywhere," said Gayle Kesselman, co-chairwoman of the Carlstadt-based New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control. "This isn't about doing sweeps in a town. It just forms a partnership between local police and the federal government so that local police can act to enforce the law of the land."

Cresitello, the Morristown mayor, said that the lack of a federal solution to the broken immigration system leaves local officials little choice.

"It's more important now than ever for local municipalities to do this," said Cresitello. "Even if Congress had done something to deal with illegal immigration, the local level is where a lot of it would have to be enforced."

But others say the issue is a federal matter and should remain the responsibility of mainly the federal government. They say deputizing local police as immigration agents will alienate them from their immigrant community members.

They also question the motives of Lonegan, who has locked horns with immigration advocates and Hispanic community leaders in recent years.

In 2006, he tried to force the removal of a Spanish-language McDonald's billboard that advertised its iced coffee. He also attempted, unsuccessfully, to have English designated the town's official language through an ordinance that would have required all borough business to be conducted in English unless mandated differently by state or federal law.

"If you want to disempower a community, you start by aiming for its weakest link," said Cid Wilson, a Leonia resident and past president of the Dominican American National Roundtable. "He aims for illegal immigrants, but then legal immigrants and even U.S. citizens of certain ethnicities. I'm a U.S citizen, and Hispanic, and his campaign against McDonald's advertisement in Spanish offended me. That had nothing to do with illegal immigration."

Borough Councilwoman Yesenia Frias vowed to fight any effort by Lonegan to deputize police to enforce immigration laws.

"If he tries to really initiate this, I will get every single Hispanic in this town together, and other immigrants -- from Haiti, Africa, Asia, everywhere -- to oppose it. His fight against McDonald's and now this just causes a lot of division among people in this town."

Lonegan balks at charges that his actions are rooted in discrimination or that they are anti-Hispanic.

"I am just trying to learn about 287G, talk to other towns that have done it to see how it is working," he said. "It appears to be a common-sense enhancement of the police's ability to do their work. I come from an immigrant family; I believe we need to live by the rule of law. People say things are racist when they don't have a logical argument to respond to something with."

E-mail: llorente@northjersey.com

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"If you want to disempower a community, you start by aiming for its weakest link," said Cid Wilson, a Leonia resident and past president of the Dominican American National Roundtable. "He aims for illegal immigrants, but then legal immigrants and even U.S. citizens of certain ethnicities. I'm a U.S citizen, and Hispanic, and his campaign against McDonald's advertisement in Spanish offended me. That had nothing to do with illegal immigration."


Wow it only took like 5 seconds to bring out the race card. For the last time Einstein, it is not about race, color, ethnicity, religion, etc. etc. etc.

It is about LEGALITY! How hard is that to comprehend.

Borough Councilwoman Yesenia Frias vowed to fight any effort by Lonegan to deputize police to enforce immigration laws.

"If he tries to really initiate this, I will get every single Hispanic in this town together, and other immigrants -- from Haiti, Africa, Asia, everywhere -- to oppose it. His fight against McDonald's and now this just causes a lot of division among people in this town."

You my friend are the real racist. You will get all Hispanics together to rally against this. So you are assuming that Legal Hispanics and Hispanics of American descent are automatically pro-illegal? I am sure all the illegals regardless of ethnicity will stick with you but how dare you lump any legal/American citizens in with you just because they are not white. Who is the real racist?

Bogota cops could gain power over immigrants

What a friggin concept!!