Thread: TN: Measures on illegals to face council

Measures on illegals to face council
By ERIC SNYDER
The Leaf-Chronicle
March 5, 2008

Ward 4 Councilman Wallace Redd is sponsoring two resolutions at Thursday's City Council meeting concerning illegal immigrants.

The first would establish the "Clarksville Homeland Security Officers Program," meant to encourage Clarksville Police officers to report illegal immigrants that they come across "in the course of their duties" to a point person in the department, who would then forward the information to federal agencies.


The second would establish the "Clarksville Lawful Employment Policy," creating a warning statement issued to each business seeking a new or renewed license that it is against state, federal and local law to employ illegal immigrants.

Redd, who unsuccessfully sponsored an ordinance in 2006 that would have fined landlords or employers for knowingly giving shelter or employment to illegal immigrants, said his intent for the new resolutions is to inform federal officials, not enforce their policies.

"The purpose and the gist of it is they (the Clarksville Police Department) take the information, we keep a copy, and we forward the information to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)," Redd said.

Redd rattled off a number of national incidents where an illegal immigrant was identified as responsible in either a shooting or accident who had previously been stopped by police.

"It is our job to inform," Redd said. "After that, if there's an incident later on, we've done our job as far as informing ICE."

Chief of Police Al Ansley said ICE will likely not respond to the information once in their hands.

"If they (the City Council) pass it, we'll do our best to abide by it," Ansley said, adding that the CPD would limit its involvement to information gathering.

Ansley said the department would not look into tips about suspected illegal immigrants.

As written, Redd's resolution would not mandate that a CPD officer forward any illegal immigrant's information whom he or she encounters.

Redd said officers could take information not just from illegal immigrants involved in a crime or accident, but from suspected immigrants who reported a crime. Redd said the scenario akin to someone with an outstanding warrant calling to report an assault — police are obliged to investigate that crime, but also to follow up on the warrant.

Tommy Vallejos, director of the Hispanic Organization for Progress and Education, said that could could make crime against illegal immigrants go unreported.

"This will just put them further in the shadows where they won't report the crimes (against them)," Vallejos said.

"I don't think (Redd) is being mean-spirited about it, but I don't think he's thinking about the repercussions of it," Vallejos said, adding that the resolution could lead to legal racial profiling.

"Those of us with Hispanic surnames are the faces of illegals," Vallejos said.

Vallejos said he'd requested to address the council Thursday, but learned that the public comment slots had already been filled.

As they are resolutions, Redd's proposals will only require one vote of the City Council, which will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Board of Education, 621 Gracey Ave.


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Way To Go, City Of Clarksville, Tennessee!!!