I do have to say that despite all the anti-illegal sentiment in FB, it's becoming more like little Mexico all the time to me. There are at least 2 to 3 Mexican grocery stores in the "Four Points" main shopping area of FB, lots of Mexican food restaurants all over the area, and several money transfer places about a mile or 2 down the road from me. At least half the time I hear Spanish spoken in the FB shops I go to. As much as I'd like to stick around in this nice little community, I'm thinking of moving to North Dallas in the Plano area, where higher priced housing seems to be keeping the illegals at bay for now. Not to mention, the FB school district is seriously lacking due to an influx of illegal anchor baby children, and when I have kids, I want them to get a great education (Plano schools are some of the best in the city). FB may be years away from a renaissance, and unfortunately I can't wait for all that to happen.


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 2b130.html

Police play key role in FB crackdown

City ramping up efforts to identify suspects who are in U.S. illegally

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, August 19, 2007

By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
ssandoval@dallasnews.com

Farmers Branch Police Chief Sid Fuller's first day on the job was Aug. 21 of last year – the day news broke of City Council member Tim O'Hare's ideas for ways to crack down on illegal immigrants.

The news brought hundreds of people – and heavy media coverage – to City Hall.

"It was a powder keg, and emotions were running high," said Chief Fuller, who had just been hired from Irving.

And Chief Fuller's marching orders were soon clear: The department was to do whatever it could to identify illegal immigrants in the city jail and turn them over to immigration agents.

In November, the City Council directed the Police Department to apply for the federal 287(g) program, which provides local law enforcement with training and equipment to access federal databases and identify whether arrestees are in the country illegally.

Chief Fuller said that the city was approved for the program but got word from federal officials this month that the 287(g) program is out of funding through the rest of this fiscal year and will be reconsidered after Oct. 1.

Meanwhile, the Police Department has put other measures in place to deal with illegal immigrants who commit other crimes.

At a September conference, Chief Fuller learned about the Immigration Alien Query and put it into practice. Everyone processed through the jail is asked if he is a U.S. citizen and whether he was born in the U.S.

If not, the prisoner's information is run through the National Crime Information Computer, which alerts police if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking for that person. If so, police place a detainer on the prisoner for ICE agents to come get him once the suspect has resolved the charges in Farmers Branch.

Between August 2005 and June 30, 2007, the Police Department identified 157 arrestees as illegal immigrants and had detainers put on them for ICE. That's 4.7 percent of the 3,355 arrests that were made during that period.

"The message is, 'If you're in this country, in this city illegally, don't get arrested, and don't be committing other crimes,' " Chief Fuller said.

But just how much of an impact the efforts, which are similar to what Irving police are doing, will have is unknown, he said.

"It's just been in the last few months that we've really gotten our process down," Chief Fuller said. "I think we will have a better picture a year from now."

The 287(g) program would give the department access to a more extensive database, and officers would do more of the work themselves, rather than having to contact an ICE agent, Chief Fuller said.

"It's hit or miss sometimes with the duty agent. They may or may not answer their cellphone," he said.