The Public Safety Forum (SAFETY)

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Police Confront Illegal's

Local police confront illegal immigrants

By Oren Dorell and William M. Welch, USA TODAY
More than 60 law enforcement agencies across the country are teaming up with the federal government to have the power to arrest illegal immigrants, a move that could add hundreds of new officers to the effort.

At least 14 police and sheriff's departments have already received training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

IN BALTIMORE: Dozens arrested in immigration raid

Many of the 50 new departments looking into training are from smaller cities and suburbs that have seen a wave of illegal immigrants looking for work.

"It's something that is expanding," says Marcy Forman, director of ICE's office of investigations. "It's certainly been a success."

Forman says the training will expand enforcement of federal immigration laws well beyond the 5,600 special agents with ICE.

Some major cities have spurned the federal government's offer, saying their officers don't have time to look for illegal immigrants and worry about the effect, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Some communities want only the authority to check the status of prisoners who can then be handed over for possible deportation. Others want their police to check the status of people suspected of crimes or even traffic violations.

In Arizona, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office this week is graduating the first of 100 patrol deputies and 60 detention officers scheduled to get the training — the biggest group yet.

"The people of Maricopa County want me to do something," Sheriff Joe Arpaio says. "They want me to lock up illegals."

In Southern California, two counties using ICE training to screen inmates in their jails report finding large numbers who appear to be in the country illegally.

During the first three months of this year, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says 1,422 prisoners were held over for federal immigration authorities — more than half the 2,685 foreign nationals who were screened in the county's jails.

"The real reason for my request is so we can pursue people who are violating federal law as far as hiring practices," says Mayor Donald Cresitello of Morristown, N.J., which wants training for 10 of its 60 officers.

Morristown, where an estimated 1,500 illegal immigrants live among 19,000 residents, is looking for ways to deal with day labor sites that have become a nuisance, Cresitello says.

Morristown Police Chief Peter Demnitz has concerns. Victims of crime and witnesses who are illegal immigrants might not cooperate with police, he says.

"Morristown is very diverse," Demnitz says. "We have forged relationships, and I am concerned that this will have an impact on our relationships."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-29-illegal-immigration_N.htm

Also posted on the NOLIB board.