Immigrants' rights trump citizens' rights

Immigrants' rights trump citizens' rights

December 25, 2009

* Comments(19)

So let me understand this: An illegal immigrant who breaks the United States law to get into this country and then steals someone's identity has the same constitutional and privacy rights as a United States citizen? What were the judges on the Colorado Supreme Court thinking?

These are criminals who have no constitutional or privacy rights under the United States Constitution.

Perhaps if any one of those "bleeding hearts" judges had had their identity stolen by a criminal/illegal immigrant and had to go through the years of expense and heartbreak to get their IRS and credit records restored, they would understand the enormity of the crime.

Why not get input from the victims who had their identity stolen? Oh, nevermind, obviously the Colorado Supreme Court doesn't care about law-abiding citizens, only criminal/illegal immigrants.

What has happened to upholding the United States Constitution and common sense?

Donna Marshall Ziehm,

Fort Collins

www.coloradoan.com

DHS Protects Privacy of Illegals

Friday, October 30, 2009 12:23 PM
By: Jim Meyers

The Department of Homeland Security is muzzling local law enforcement agencies regarding their efforts to enforce federal immigration laws in order to protect the "privacy" of illegal aliens.

Any information about local police enforcement actions must now be cleared through the DHS's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division before it can be released to the media or the public.

Kelly Nantel, press secretary for ICE, told CNSNews that although illegal aliens are not protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, the DHS's policy is to extend the privacy protection to individuals who are in the U.S. illegally.

"The Privacy Act and the private policy provide protections for U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and, in the case of the privacy policy, illegal aliens," Nantel said.

"Any information regarding individuals encountered through the enforcement of federal law is ultimately protected."

Agreements between the DHS and local law enforcement agencies guide the 287(g) program, created in 2003 to train and certify state and local law enforcement personnel to enforce immigration law.

In July, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said those agreements would be "standardized" and reviewed, and in August she said the agreements had been "rewritten and reprioritized to focus on using them in jails and prisons."

DHS and ICE officials say enforcement of federal immigration law will focus on "criminal aliens" and not on individuals who are simply in the U.S. illegally.

CNSNews observed: "Reporters or members of the public who want information arising from a local law enforcement agency's efforts to enforce immigration law will be forced to file a Freedom of Information Act request to gain access to information that is not classified and which the public is entitled to see."


Homeland Security Department Gags Local Law Enforcement to Protect 'Privacy' of Illegal Aliens
Friday, October 30, 2009
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer




Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano has said she will concentrate on 'criminal aliens' when enforcing federal immigration law. (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)(CNSNews.com) – The Department of Homeland Security is gagging local law enforcement agencies around the country to protect the privacy of illegal aliens.

Under "revised" 287(g) agreements between the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division and state and local law enforcement agencies, any information about local police efforts to enforce federal immigration law must be cleared through ICE before it can be released to the media or the public. DHS says it is doing this to protect the privacy of illegal aliens.

“The Privacy Act and the privacy policy provide protections for U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and, in the case of the privacy policy, illegal aliens,â€