Thread: IRVING, Texas — The Mexican Consul General of Dallas is ad

AP Texas News

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5156385.html

Sept. 22, 2007, 12:11AM
Advocates think police profiling for illegal immigrants


© 2007 The Associated Press

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IRVING, Texas — The Mexican Consul General of Dallas is advising immigrants to steer clear of this nearby suburb because of what he calls a high number of deportations that originated with arrests.

"They were looking for places where the Hispanics live, so this is a form of racial profiling from our point of view, and we are really worried about it," Enrique Hubbard Urrea said.

From June 2006 to Sept. 18, 2007, some 1,600 people arrested by Irving police have been handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Irving police said.

That figure has increased over time as part of Irving's 24/7 Criminal Alien Program, in which the immigration status of those arrested by police is checked.

Those who can't prove they are in the country legally are transferred to the custody of ICE, Irving officials.

"What we are questioning is the police spending all this time, all this effort and all this money prosecuting people who are not criminals," Hubbard said Friday.

The Mexican Consulate and other advocates said some Irving residents have complained that police officers asked about their immigration status after seeing them having a barbecue in a common area of their apartment complex.

But Irving officials insist they target apartment complexes with high crime rates and said the deportations stem from the jail staff's work to identify suspected illegal immigrants.

"If somebody's arrested, it is because they have committed an arrestable offense," Irving mayor Herbert Gears said. "Our police officers do not check for papers or documentation of citizenship."

Another Dallas suburb also has become involved in the nationwide political debate over immigration.

Farmers Branch officials approved an ordinance that would have required apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with a few exceptions. Landlords would have faced fines of up to $500 for violating the measure with each day considered as a separate violation.

But a federal judge has blocked the law's enforcement, saying Farmers Branch officials attempted to regulate immigration differently from the federal government.

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Information from: Al Dia, http://aldiatx.com

Information from: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, http://www.star-telegram.com

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