Enforce immigration laws? Big city cops say no, thank you.

[High Plains]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-19-immigration-enforcement_x.htm

Big cities reluctant to target illegals
Updated 6/19/2006 11:48 PM ET
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

CHICAGO — Despite a federal effort to enlist help from local police to catch illegal immigrants, some of the USA's biggest cities are declining to enforce immigration laws. Police chiefs, mayors and city councils are ordering local cops not to get involved as federal agents crack down on people in the country illegally.

"Vulnerable people have always needed to see the police as being there to protect and serve, and that can't happen when the first words out of a cop's mouth are, 'I need to see your papers,' " Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been visiting police conventions in an effort to have departments join a voluntary program. ICE has trained officers in seven jurisdictions to identify, process and detain illegal immigrants, said Robert Hines, who heads the program started in 1996. Participants include state police in Alabama and Florida, the Arizona corrections department and sheriff's departments in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Riverside counties in California and Mecklenburg County, N.C.

Several jurisdictions have refused to help. Chicago police and city workers are prohibited from asking immigrants about their legal status. Rybak asked ICE agents last month to stop identifying themselves as "police." New York City's public hospitals promised last month that they would keep secret an immigrant's legal status. In the broadest signal of opposition, a national group representing 57 big-city police chiefs warned this month that local enforcement of federal immigration laws would "undermine trust and cooperation" among immigrants.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association said in recommendations to President Bush and Congress that police have long worked with federal agents to pursue illegal immigrants suspected of crimes. The group said helping identify those suspected only of being in the USA illegally could backfire.

"We have spent many years ... getting special communities to talk to us, to report crime, to be witnesses," said Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt. "If we stop individuals (to ask about immigration status), we would lose all of that."

<snip> ...more at link

[High Plains]

1. Silly police. They would rather solve crimes and have a working

relationship with their communities.

[High Plains]

2. Wow, this dropped about 20 places in just a couple of minutes.

So I'm going to kick it because I think it shows an interesting dimension to the immigration debates that has been little discussed here.

[DBoon]

3. A criminal would note which counties are participating in this

and make a point of targeting illegal immigrants for criminal activities.

Just think of all the money I could make robbing immigrants if I know they will never report me to the police!

[atreides1]

4. Just think

If you rob the wrong one or piss off enough too many they may find you floating in a river.;)

[DBoon]

5. They have an insurance scam case right now

two older women would insure homeless men, then murder them.

Having a population that is "outside the law" and vulnerable lets you get away with this.

besides, if my victims got testy, I could always call immigration on them

[High Plains]

6. I think Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix is taking a different tack.

He's sending out paramilitary style patrols to hunt 'em down and charge people who just crossed the border with "conspiracy to traffic humans" (themselves). I wonder how the sheriff's department's relations are with the Hispanic community these days.

On edit: I forget to mention that Arpaio is a leading contender for most hideous law enforcement officer in America.