Posted on 12/17/2003 3:21:42 PM PST by CIBvet
State and Local Assistance in Immigration Enforcement Vital
(Washington, D.C. – December 17, 2003) Efforts to expand a national database to enable state and local law enforcement officials to identify and apprehend known criminals and illegal aliens are “an essential step to real homeland security and will be an invaluable tool in the effort to combat terrorism in the United States,” says the Federation for American Immigration Reform. FAIR is applauding a push by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database by adding names of aliens who have been ordered deported, as well as foreign students who violate the terms of their student visas.
“Information collection and sharing among the various federal agencies and local law enforcement is a vital step in preventing another 9-11,” commented FAIR’s executive director, Dan Stein. Stein noted that several of the 9-11 terrorists had direct contact with local law enforcement officials prior to the attack, and the lack of a central, accessible database made identifying them impossible. “One of the direct contributing factors to the success of the 9-11 terrorists was the government’s failure to collect and share information that might have foiled the attacks. If we maintain a policy of willful blindness, by erecting firewalls to protect people who are in the country illegally, then we are courting another terrorist attack,” commented Stein.
There are some 400,000 alien absconders who have been issued final orders of deportation, but who cannot be located. Since these names have begun to be entered into the NCIC database, 5,000 have been removed from the U.S., including 4,200 with felony convictions.
In addition to expanding the NCIC database, FAIR is urging DHS to issue arrest warrants for fugitive aliens who are entered into the database and be prepared to assume custody of aliens who are apprehended by local law enforcement. Federal warrants would remove any legal barriers that might prevent local police from enforcing immigration laws.
Civil liberties groups have protested the expansion of the database, arguing that it will blur the “separation between criminal law enforcement and immigration status violations,” and are filing suit to block the use of the NCIC database to track fugitive aliens. “Nothing could be more revealing of the true agenda of the so-called civil liberties and immigrants’ rights groups than their efforts to shield illegal aliens – many with criminal records – at the expense of the safety and security of the American public,” observed Stein.
The FBI’s database includes more than 40 million felons, fugitives, and others being sought by federal law enforcement. It is currently used by 80,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. The database was expanded after 9-11 to include immigrant criminals who failed to show up for their deportation hearings and thousands of immigrants who registered with the government under the special registration program.
“The complete lack of interior immigration enforcement is the Achilles heel in our efforts to secure the country against future terrorist attacks,” commented Stein. “The 9-11 terrorists took advantage of that weakness at the cost of 3,000 innocent lives, and our enemies will surely exploit it again if we continue to place the interests of immigration law violators ahead of the security of law-abiding Americans.”
Unemployed LEGAL Americans need those jobs.
But local LE's and County Sheriff and elected officials, CAN be picketed in front of their offices (educated) and called on the carpet and even yelled at through Letters to the Editor, local Assembly meetings, local call-in shows etc etc.
sometimes they must be reminded that they collect a paycheck to uphold all the laws, not just the ones they find easiest to uphold.
I'll vote for 4 more years of gridlock before I vote for a His-pandering Bush.
A story I saw on this recently said the Justice Department was still studying the idea. If they do go ahead with it that's better than nothing but the CLEAR Act will go a lot further by deporting all illegal aliens the police come into contact with. That bill should be voted on next year by Congress and will need to pass if we ever expect to get a grip on this problem.
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