Posted on 09/28/2006 6:32:26 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Herndon (Virginia)'s decision Tuesday night to seek federal training for some of its police officers so they can enforce federal immigration law is part of a long-term effort by a new mayor and Town Council to aggressively curb the presence of residents who are in the country illegally....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The dam has burst.
Pro illegal immigration types both in the Democrat and Republican party, can no longer hold back the water. Herndon is just one of many American local communities that will be starting on these federal-local cooperative projects to start shutting down the illegal alien racket and dismantling the infrastructure that has kept them here and attracted millions more. The Washington Post sniffles it's disapproval in response......
By Keyonna Summers and Michael Hunsberger THE WASHINGTON TIMES September 28, 2006
The Herndon Town Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to enroll local officers in a federal program that would allow them to question and detain suspected illegal aliens. The resolution directs Town Manager Stephen F. Owen to send a letter of interest to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about its five-week training, which would allow police to begin the paperwork for potential deportation of illegal aliens until ICE can take them into custody. Council member Charles D. Waddell said the training will be another tool to help police. "We want to do everything possible to ensure public safety and the safety of our [police] officers," he said.
Council member J. Harlon Reece was the lone dissenter. If ICE approves the town's participation, both parties will enter into an agreement, which would specify the parameters of the town's immigration enforcement authority, assign a supervisor, and enlist qualified officers in courses including document examination, cross-cultural communications and racial profiling. The training typically costs $500 per officer, and local agencies are responsible for lodging and travel expenses. Herndon would become the first town in the country to enroll in the program. ICE officials said other towns have asked for information, but they would not say whether the towns are working on formal agreements. Officials in Loudoun County said they are interested in the training and are in the "very preliminary stages" of getting information from ICE.
Herndon officials hope the agreement will help them root out criminals in a state that prohibits local law-enforcement officials from detaining illegal aliens unless they are suspected of a crime, have been convicted of a felony or have been deported or left the U.S. and returned illegally. State law also bars police from asking the immigration status of persons they encounter during routine traffic stops. On Tuesday, council members told residents that they will hold public hearings to decide what type of agreement the town will approve after ICE responds to the town's letter. "The council is always supportive of the police," said Herndon Police Chief Toussaint E. Summers Jr., who came to the council last week with the idea.
The chief said he expects trained immigration officers to be on the streets within four to six months. The vote comes as several Fairfax County residents are suing the town for using taxpayer money to partially fund a day-laborer center in town. The residents say the center violates state and federal law by helping illegal aliens find work. Several town residents on Tuesday said the training targets Hispanics, and that it will hurt relations with that community.
Seems to me that heaving the federal responsibility onto local police is counterproductive and sets a dangerous precedent.
The goal is admirable, but the means is questionable.
I predict that little town will clean up immensely. Crime, grafitti, loitering, gangs, communicable diseases, drunk driving, welfare dollars via taxes, translations costs in the courts, etc. are all going to come down dramatically.
Think of the nature of informants helping local police...(who know the neighborhoods)
language barriers for most local police
lack of training and knowledge of federal law at local level
burden of FBI and federal counterterrorism coordination
how to identify an illegal without breaking local law, and then how long it would take to build a case
It's a mess. I don't know to what extent local policing now already consists of enforcing federal laws. I wonder, is it 50%? 20%?
See, soon cities and towns will be known as either anti-illegal immigration or 'sanctuary cities'. Those illegals in the former will begin to feel very uncomfortable as they see more roundups of their compadres, and they will head for the sanctuary cities. The sanctuary cities will only be too happy to have them. The libs can handle all that crap. Soon the difference between living in a pro-law city and a pro-sanctuary city will be evident across the land. The truth (crime statistics, taxes, general appearance, etc) will speak for itself.
With a border fence/wall up and employer sanctions nationwide, combined with local enforcement, things will start to change and the word will get out en espanol that el gravy tren has come to an abrupt halt.
"It's a mess. I don't know to what extent local policing now already consists of enforcing federal laws. I wonder, is it 50%? 20%?"
I just feel that local cops have the intel to get the job done. I support their efforts 100%. I do not want / nor need... some Fed rambo coming into our neighborhoods....stepping on toes...
and mucking things up. Feds have their place...where'as a local cop who lives nearby is more likely to "do the right thing".... and in the proper manner.
JMHO.
ping
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1709152/posts
What you are apparently not aware of is that many local LE are already deputized as federal agents, a bi-product of the war on drugs.
What you are apparently not aware of is that many local LE are already deputized as federal agents, a bi-product of the war on drugs.
Are you suggesting we need many more federal officers, when the local police run into these criminals all day long?
A sad day over at the Washington Post!
On the surface it looks that way but the truth is the Feds have had plenty of time to solve this problem and they keep buck passing or ignoring it. I don't know which is worse.
In every town, city, county in the US the decision is coming for local governing bodies about whether or not to make their cities safe again for US citizens.
Many cities are opting to train their police force to contend with whatever the problem, sensing the feds lack the will, desire much less the funding.
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