Thread: Southeast residents divided on whether local police

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Southeast residents divided on whether local police should help enforce immigration law

By MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS


(Original publication: September 2, 2007)

SOUTHEAST - Community members stand divided on a proposal to deputize local police officers to enforce immigration law.


The issue came to a head recently when Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith said his department would not participate in the federal program known as 287(g), which grants state and local law enforcement the authority to question, arrest and start deportation proceedings against criminal illegal immigrants.


Southeast officials had asked Smith to consider the program this year after several crimes in Brewster involving day laborers, including stabbings and a homicide.


Smith's refusal prompted two political rallies in the past two weeks by the Fraternal Order of Police and local candidates, who pressed him to reconsider.


Smith had said the department was already working well with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the program would not have a significant impact in Putnam unless changes were made on the national level.


Meanwhile, village residents and merchants have weighed in on the controversial plan, prompting a wellspring of debate. Some are fed up with hearing that illegal immigration is a federal issue and believe that a program like 287(g) would go a long way in giving local law enforcement the tools needed to combat the problem.


Others say putting federal authority in the hands of police officers would be dangerous and costly.


"The program would benefit the area. It would help get rid of people that are causing trouble," said Mark Buzzetto, owner of the Brewster Flower Garden florist. "It's a step in the right direction to improve the quality of life in the village of Brewster."


Village resident Paul Leary disagreed. He said using the federal program could lead to the abuse of power.


"ICE might be overloaded, but I don't like the idea of local authority getting federal authority," said Leary, 45, a thrift shop employee. "Slowly but surely, all of us would lose our rights. I'm the son of an immigrant. If the same situation occurred in the 1950s, then I wouldn't be here today."


The 287(g) program was created in 1996 to assist federal agents in fighting terrorism and serious crimes. It is not meant to round up illegal immigrants off the street.


The program requires local departments to enter into formal agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that define the "scope and limitations" of their authority. Officers then participate in a five-week training course to become certified in performing immigration duties under the supervision of ICE.


As of Aug. 21, 26 law enforcement agencies nationwide had signed agreements, including ones in Virginia and New Hampshire; 416 officers had been trained; and more than 22,000 illegal immigrants had been arrested, according to ICE's Web site. In 2006, nearly 200,000 people were deported, ICE officials said.


"I certainly trust the sheriff with his reasoning. They do contact ICE, and anyone who has a record or convicted is picked up for deportation," said Brewster resident Kathleen Meyerson, 55, a schoolteacher. "Them going through the program might make it 24 to 48 hours quicker. It's not worth the extra money."


ICE covers the cost of training, but a local agency is required to pay for the officers' overtime, transportation and lodging.


Meyerson does, however, support Mayor John Degnan's plan for the Brewster Police Department to participate in the federal program, saying it would add another level of expertise to the village's recently revived police force. Degnan, a candidate for Southeast supervisor, met with immigration and local authorities in mid-August to discuss 287(g) and has proposed deputizing village officers to more quickly identify illegal immigrants who are criminals and begin deporting them.


The program, he said, would give the nine-month-old department access to national databases to help distinguish between civil and criminal violators or to check a person's criminal history. ICE's Web site, however, states that local officers must have been in their current positions for at least two years to participate in 287(g) training.


Still, Brewster plans to notify Homeland Security of its intent to participate if the village board approves the action at its Wednesday meeting, Degnan said.


Republican-endorsed supervisor candidate Lorraine Mitts wants the sheriff to team up with ICE's immigration enforcement and pledged $100,000 in town funds to train officers if she is elected. Michael Rights, a supervisor candidate on the Save Our Southeast team, has run a hard-line anti-illegal-immigrant campaign and thinks the town and village should be doing more to block them from living and working in Brewster.


News of the 287(g) program has spread throughout Brewster's Hispanic population, fueling concern and confusion. The village's Hispanic liaison, Victor Padilla, said he spoke to many Latinos to allay their fears that police officers were going to start arresting everyone who is here illegally.


Padilla said he favors giving local police officers immigration enforcement powers for criminals.


"We should have something like this to separate the good from the bad," Padilla said. "Not everyone that is here illegally commits crimes. By having 287, people might respect others and the law."


Mayra Ortiz, a village resident who is in the country illegally, said she was uncertain whether the program was a good idea and thought it might wind up targeting Hispanics. Officers may stop people based on the color of their skin and the language they speak, she said.


"There are lots of other immigrants with white skin who don't speak the language, but you never hear about them," said Ortiz, 31, who works at a local business. "If a person commits a crime, then they should be punished. I know we violated the law by coming here illegally, but I don't think all of us should be thought of as criminals."


Reach Marcela Rojas at mrojas@lohud.com or 845-228-2271.

"There are lots of other immigrants with white skin who don't speak the language, but you never hear about them," said Ortiz, 31, who works at a local business. "If a person commits a crime, then they should be punished. I know we violated the law by coming here illegally, but I don't think all of us should be thought of as criminals."

The last sentence is the kicker.The poor fool doesn't want to grasp the concept (for whatever reason) that the 287g program is for ALL illegal criminals but,I keep forgetting they believe ONLY what suits their purpose/cause.
Maybe Ms. Ortiz needs to look up the term racist in the dictionary,I think she fits the definition.Alas I have a feeling Ms.Ortiz also ammended hers to say "something only white people do" just like she added " unjustly targeting hispanics" to the 287g program.
Just imagine the "family values" she will instill in her children-just because you break the law doesn't mean your a criminal,never be held accountable for your actions and last but not least-laws are only to be obeyed when they benefit you.




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!