LA County extends program to screen inmates' immigration status

Southern California Public Radio ^ | October 12, 2010

[La Lydia]

Over the objections of immigrant rights activists, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to extend a program where sheriff’s officials screen the immigration status of jail inmates. Immigrant rights activists argued the program allows racial profiling and hurts community policing. Gladys Limon of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund said allowing sheriff's officials to check inmates' immigration status "blurs the line between immigration and local police." She said it "has a chilling effect on immigrants’ willingness to come forward to report crimes and to cooperate with police investigations."

L.A. County sheriffs’ officials denied they engage in racial profiling, and said they’ve maintained good relationships with immigrant communities. They also said that under their agreement with the federal government, they hand over to immigration authorities only people who've been convicted of a crime.

Supervisor Gloria Molina, who initially opposed the so-called 287G program, said she now supports it.

“We have heard that there have been aliens that have been deported for merely drunk driving and domestic violence," she said. "We haven’t found those cases as of yet. It is usually for a major criminal offense.”

Molina noted the county is unable to opt out of another federal program called Secure Communities. Under the program, the names of all people booked at county jail go to the F.B.I., then to immigration authorities.

Immigrant rights activists said the federal government’s used that program to deport thousands of people from L.A. County, many of whom have never been convicted of a crime.

[La Lydia]

I am so sick of hearing about the "chilling effect on immigrants' willingness to come forward" and talk to police I could scream. And Gloria Molina is a raving idiot. Drunken driving and domestic abuse is as good a reason to deport as any.

[Doogle]

how nice of them

[La Lydia]

open borders ping

[SoldierDad]

When will the Holder Justice Department file a law suit???

[kromike]

I am so sick of hearing about the "chilling effect on immigrants' willingness to come forward" and talk to police I could scream.

Agreed. If it 'chills them out' from talking to police, then too bad. Let them suffer in crime-drenched neighborhoods to the point that they sneak back into Mexico.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Immigrant rights activists argued the program allows racial profiling and hurts community policing.

Same crap they used on Arizona. How 'bout they screen EVERY inmate? Throw a monkey wrench in the works of these maggots' machine.

[Pontiac]

Over the objections of immigrant rights activists, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to extend a program where sheriff’s officials screen the immigration status of jail inmates.

Gladys Limon of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational said it "has a chilling effect on immigrants’ willingness to come forward to report crimes and to cooperate with police investigations."

Now why would that be unless the “Illegal” immigrants were trying to protect the criminal.

[doc1019]

Why bother. Illegals will be allowed to stay, or, if deported, will return in a few months anyway. Without prison time, nothing else we do will matter.

[5thGenTexan]

Without prison time, nothing else we do will matter.

Actually, without a secure border, nothing we do will matter. Life in US prisons could be better than life on the street in some places in Mexico. We don't have beheadings and mass graves in prison here, yet.

[doc1019]

I agree, your observation makes much more sense than mine.

[radpolis]

I wish to God conservatives had some guts or at least one person in the media did.

I have yet to see one statistic on how illegals testifying against criminals have led to convictions and an improvement in public safety.

Where I live, all the Mexicans refuse to cooperate with the police, even when they are the victim of attempted murder.

[bjorn14]

“many of whom have never been convicted of a crime.”

Uh. Being in this country illegally IS a crime!

[bcsco]

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[Graybeard58]

Drunken driving and domestic abuse is as good a reason to deport as any.

Illegal entry itself is crime enough to deport.

[CodeToad]

I suspect illegal aliens will be let free.