Thread: ACLU Concered About Enforcing Immigration Law

How about this?

(Hope this isn't a double post)



Tuesday, June 20, 2006 — The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is once again under fire. This time, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the A.C.L.U., says the Sheriff's Office took federal law into their own hands after getting a tip about a group of undocumented immigrants.

"Sheriff's went to the house and went into the house to get undocumented immigrants out. They went into a hotel, and got undocumented people out. That is a very, very serious violation of what they're been claiming not to do, which is enforce immigration law," says Ray Ybarra, ACLU of Texas.

That was the topic of an email dating back to April of 2006, obtained by the ACLU through an open record request. The email walks through the bust, that took Sheriff's Deputies to several locations looking for the immigrants. It says that one Border Patrol agent was "disturbed" over deputies being at the location with the immigrants. It goes on to say that Sheriff's Deputies were told to "call Border Patrol who would in turn call ICE if they deemed it necessary." Finally, the email stated that the Border Patrol agent seemed visibly upset over the Sheriff's Office involvement in the case, by following up on information without first contacting federal law enforcement.

"This Sheriff is engaging in immigration enforcement, and then as an after thought calling in the INS," says Will Harrell, Executive Director, ACLU of Texas.

The ACLU says this type of incident has a long lasting effect on the community.

"People are afraid to walk their kids...because they think the sheriff's deputies will be out asking for documents...and if people are afraid to leave their houses then that's a huge human rights issue," says Ybarra.

The spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office was not available for comment.

I cannot understand, we have already laws against these illegals. How can the ACLU make a case within the law if the actual law is not to give roghts to these illegals ?

"Sheriff's went to the house and went into the house to get undocumented immigrants out. They went into a hotel, and got undocumented people out. That is a very, very serious violation of what they're been claiming not to do, which is enforce immigration law," says Ray Ybarra, ACLU of Texas

Obviously local authorities have assumed the federal government wants them to enforce the law. What else can they assume (sarcasm), especially in view of the fact that the federal government doesn't want to enforce our immigration laws. When those tasked with the responsibility of protecting citizens fail in their duties, someone else has to pick up the slack. The federal government and ICE are in no position to complain when local officials take responsibility for protecting their own citizens.

"People are afraid to walk their kids...because they think the sheriff's deputies will be out asking for documents...and if people are afraid to leave their houses then that's a huge human rights issue," says Ybarra.

Weeeelllll, if I were living in a country illegally, I guess I'd be scared too. Maybe Ybarra missed the point -

IT IS ABOUT SCARING people. That's what the law is all about. Gee whiz

and if people are afraid to leave their houses then that's a huge human rights issue

What about the people that are citizens who are afraid to go out because they are here?

Did anyone happen to see wether the locals knew prior to all this running around that they were after illegals ... or is that something found out later?

I didn't see where they were accused of illegal searches, which would seem to indicate they had warrants, right? So wouldn't that seem to indicate that the tip of was more like "Go here, there's crime being committed" as opposed to "Go here, illegals in the country"?