Thread: MA-Two Agencies halt their immigrant scrutiny

Agencies halt their immigrant scrutiny

Barnstable sheriff, Framingham police say no

By Maria Sacchetti
Boston Globe Staff
October 2, 2009

Two Massachusetts law enforcement agencies have halted a controversial program that authorized them to enforce federal immigration laws, thrilling advocates for immigrants but drawing criticism from those seeking tougher restrictions.

The Framingham Police Department pulled out this week because the federal government had urged the force to detain and deport immigrants more aggressively, and the chief feared that would erode trust in the community.

The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office said federal officials suspended their involvement a few months ago, leaving the state’s Department of Correction as the only participating unit in Massachusetts.

“It doesn’t benefit the Police Department to engage in deportation and immigration enforcement,’’ Framingham’s chief, Steven Carl, said yesterday. “We’re done. I told them to come get the computers.’’

The program, known formally as 287(g), grants state and local law enforcement agencies the power to enforce federal immigration laws after they sign an agreement with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and undergo training. The program underwent a sweeping nationwide overhaul in July following criticism that it led to racial pro filing, intimidation, and the deportation of immigrants for such minor crimes as speeding.

The Government Accountability Office had criticized the program, which is supposed to focus on hardcore crimes such as murder and drug smuggling. Other complaints led to a federal investigation of an Arizona sheriff’s office that had used the program to launch an unusually aggressive crackdown.

Nationwide, 66 law enforcement agencies are enrolled in the program, and 13 more have been approved to sign an agreement with the federal agency, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Massachusetts did not report abuses connected to the program, and Framingham and Barnstable rarely used their federal authority. But its existence was a powerful symbol, especially in Framingham, where more than 1 in 4 residents is foreign-born.

Carl said he signed up two years ago for the sole purpose of accessing federal computer databases to aid in criminal investigations. He assigned two officers to the program, and said the databases helped, but only two or three people were arrested as a result.

He said he decided to withdraw over the summer after federal officials asked him to expand the officers’ duties to detaining immigrants for deportation, transporting detainees, and having police testify in immigration cases. He sent a letter Wednesday to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement formally withdrawing.

Carl said he would still work with federal immigration officials on criminal investigations, as many police departments continue to do statewide regardless of the program.

In Barnstable County, Sheriff James M. Cummings said federal officials suspended their involvement in the program a few months ago, before it ever got started. He had enrolled in 2007 and sent 12 deputy sheriffs for training.

“They told us that they were going in a different direction,’’ Cummings said of federal officials. “They said they weren’t going to operate the program [here] any longer. They may be back sometime in the future.’’

The state Department of Correction has no plans to withdraw from the program, said Diane Wiffin, spokeswoman. Governor Deval Patrick enrolled the department in 2007, after overturning a decision by his predecessor, Mitt Romney, to authorize State Police to join.

Immigrant advocates hailed the news yesterday that the federal program would be less of a presence in the state.

Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, yesterday called the end of the programs “a great victory’’ and praised Framingham in particular.

Immigrants who fear deportation are less likely to report crimes, she said, forcing victims of domestic violence and others to suffer in silence.

“We’re thrilled,’’ she said. “All the residents of Massachusetts need to feel that law enforcement will work with them to make their city safer.’’

Fausto da Rocha, a Brazilian immigrant leader and critic of the programs, especially in Framingham, praised the police chief for bowing out of the program and for keeping his word to focus only on criminals.

“He did the right thing,’’ da Rocha said of the chief. “He’s going to make the community more comfortable and to trust more in the police in Framingham. He’s doing really good work for the community there.’’

Others criticized the decision, saying it would encourage more illegal immigrants to come to Massachusetts.

“They should be putting more of an effort to go after them,’’ said Jim Rizoli, spokesman for a Framingham group called Concerned Citizens and Friends of Illegal Immigration Law Enforcement. “They could be pulling them in every minute of the day.’’

Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed that Framingham police and the Barnstable County Sheriff’s office are out of the program, but declined to comment on their involvement.

“The 287(g) program is a voluntary program which enables local law enforcement agencies to identify criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat in their communities,’’ he said. “Should any community feel that their law enforcement needs are better met through other means, ICE will assist them as best they can.’’

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... _scrutiny/

We have had over 10,000 arrested and most deported in one county in 6 months. 287(g) is hated by the OBL groups because it is both effective and saves money.

God bless the citizens of Mass. There was obviously political pressure for this reversal.