Thread: TX-Many police chiefs:enforcing imm.laws splits community

Posted on Sat, Jul. 25, 2009 Comments (12)

Many police chiefs say enforcing immigration laws splits community, sidetracks officers

By NATHANIEL JONESnjones@star-telegram.com


Arlington immigration attorney Ollie Jefferson says there is one basic rule for illegal immigrants trying to avoid deportation: Stay out of jail.

"I’ve met people who have been here illegally 20 years, and after one arrest they are being deported," Jefferson said. "I tell people all the time: Avoid domestic disputes, driving drunk or any other public nuisance that can get you in jail."

While some groups advocate that local police departments enforce federal immigration laws, many aren’t interested in doing so unless criminal activity is involved.

Jails in Arlington, Fort Worth and elsewhere in Tarrant County notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of possible illegal immigrants being held there. Those inmates are then detained on an immigration hold.

Illegal immigrants’ names also show up during routine jail checks by federal agents.

"It takes a lot of training to understand our complicated immigration laws," Jefferson said. "What if that person is in the process of extending their stay and they have some documents that allow them to stay? It opens a whole other can of worms."

Last month, Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman attended a news conference in Washington, D.C., with other police chiefs from across the nation who object to a federal program that trains and authorizes local law enforcement agencies to perform immigration checks.

A report released by the group said performing such checks would raise tensions between police departments and their communities.

"By creating partners, we avoid creating foes," Bowman said at the time.

Fort Worth and Tarrant County officials said illegal immigration is a border control issue. Bowman and other officials say already tight resources must be diverted to enforce federal laws. Their involvement could also tie officers up in court, they said.

"While immigration laws are important, we have to do our jobs," said Terry Grisham, a spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department. "If we’re out enforcing immigration laws, then we’re not out looking for intoxicated drivers or investigating house burglaries."

Focusing solely on immigration is not what residents of a city as diverse as Fort Worth expect from their police department, Lt. Paul Henderson said.

"It would give off the perception that we are targeting a certain group of people in our community," he said. "Our focus continues to be on protecting our residents."

One advocate for local enforcement said the departments’ reluctance may be political.

"Local police departments get involved in federal issues all the time," said Dave McElwee, president of the Tarrant Alliance for Responsible Government. "They don’t just sit on their thumbs whenever there’s a robbery of a federal bank or a kidnapping that crosses state lines. The truth is, local departments don’t get involved because of the politics."

Arlington’s Bowman said he does support a new federal program that checks the immigration status of all inmates booked into local jails. Names and fingerprints are matched with a federal criminal database.

"I think the pilot program gives us the opportunity to combat illegal immigration without creating an unfunded mandate," Bowman said.


http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_ ... 06671.html

ratbstard wrote on 7/26/2009 9:46:01 AM:

"By creating partners, we avoid creating foes," Bowman said at the time.

Let's apply this logic to all criminal enterprises! That would make law enforcement so much easier.

Just enforce the law already and quit with the excuses.

"By creating partners, we avoid creating foes," Bowman said at the time."

[b]This Elitists "immigration" lawyer is no more concerned about the ILLEGALS than he is of United States Citizens; JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY!

Of course the more the Elitist Special Interest Groups financially benefit from the ILLEGALS the more money that is poured into the coffers of the Elitist Politicians to support the ILLEGALS but this is really not new, the Chamber of Commerce has always been working in support of the ILLEGALS.

U.S. Citizens have already lost “entry levelâ€

July 26, 2009

Debate Intensifies Over Federal Deportation Policy

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/us/26 ... wanted=all


By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
HOUSTON — The Obama administration is vastly expanding a federal effort begun under President George W. Bush to identify and deport illegal immigrants held in local jails. But here in the city where the effort got a trial start eight months ago, people on each side of the immigration debate have found fault with it.

Under the effort, known as Secure Communities, local officials check every set of fingerprints taken at jails against those of people who have had a brush with federal immigration authorities; in the past, they could check only for a criminal history in the F.B.I. database. If a person turns out to be an illegal immigrant, the case is turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation proceedings in addition to the criminal charges.

The Obama administration considers the trial program successful enough to pledge $195 million over the next year to expand the effort with an eye toward establishing it nationwide by late 2012, when it is projected to cost about $1 billion a year. It is now under way in 70 counties across the country, including those containing the cities of San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami and Durham, N.C.

“Before we had no idea who was deportable,â€

White House set to expand Bush deportation program
Sunday, July 26, 2009 3:16 AM

The New York Times
HOUSTON -- The Obama administration is expanding a federal effort begun under President George W. Bush

to identify and deport

illegal immigrants held

in local jails.

Under the effort, known as Secure Communities, local officials check every set of fingerprints taken at jails against those of people who have had a brush with federal immigration authorities; in the past, they could check only for a criminal history in the FBI database.

If a person turns out to

be an illegal immigrant,

the case is turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation proceedings

in addition to the criminal charges.

The Obama administration pledged $195 million over the next year to expand the effort with an eye toward establishing it nationwide by late 2012, when it

is projected to cost about

$1 billion a year.

It's now under way in

70 counties across the country.

(IMO< 70 counties is almost nothing. There are 88 counties in Ohio.)

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/co ... on+program

Old Carlos Slime continues to have BS printed in 'The NY Slimes' without offering a comment section.

There is a critical leg which is under resourced it is getting someone identified as an illegal alien being held in local custody into federal detention. There are only so many federal agents and vehicles and the local corrections officers can not be expected to take time off to move a limited number of people across a state or interstate. There needs to be state level coordination.

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

Old Carlos Slime continues to have BS printed in 'The NY Slimes' without offering a comment section.

Always frustrating but I was able to comment on the article in the Columbus Newspaper link in the previous comment; Ohio is also experiencing problems with the ILLEGALS and their Political supporters.