Posted on 06/27/2007 2:16:43 PM PDT by oakcon
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The sheriff's department has developed a remarkably effective—and controversial—way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs. Those who take off are chased down and arrested on charges such as trespassing, for cutting through someone else's property, or loitering, for hiding out in someone's yard, or reckless driving, for speeding off in a car.
U.S. immigration authorities are then given the names of those believed to be in this country illegally.
"It's not wrong for them to run, but it's not wrong for us to chase them either," said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who created his Illegal Alien Task Force in April to target construction sites in this Florida Panhandle county.
Immigrant advocates say the technique is repugnant, and the ACLU says its constitutionality is questionable.
Illegal immigrants are leaving town. And builders are worried the crackdown will deprive them of the labor they need to take part in a building boom in which Panama City's Beach cheap spring-break motels are being torn down and replaced with high-rise condos.
The sheriff said the raids are justified under a long-standing Florida law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.
His department has conducted dozens of these raids over the past three months, sometimes using five or six patrol cars, and has reported more than 500 people to immigration officials since November.
The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund is investigating the arrests because "the intimidation factor is of great concern," said Elise Shore, regional counsel for the organization.
Benjamin Stevenson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida, said he finds the tactic troubling.
"Why are they sending out six or seven agents to investigate a paper crime, and are they causing them to run in the first place through intimidation?" he asked.
As the debate over illegal immigration plays out in Washington, McKeithen is among a growing number of state and local officials taking it upon themselves to enforce immigration laws that up to now were regarded as a federal responsibility.
Even if ICE tosses the names in the trash, the sheriff's tactic ends up having a "chilling effect" on the hiring of illegals in town.....which is a step in the right direction.
Bite me Elise.
I know, is that not the sorriest thing you have ever heard? What a miserable jerk.
Gosh, I am concerned because these people are concerned. Judging from the acrimony surrounding amnesty, American citizens are experiencing and voicing their feelings of intimidation.
The BATFE has many more agents than that looking for violations of NFA '34 - which are paper crimes too. But, where's the outrage?
That just means he hasn’t found a loophole yet to file charges.
ping
Hmmm interesting. This would help explain why I’m seeing less mexicans around here lately. Still got a long way to go though.
Slowly but surely folks are waking up.
I’m sure plenty of other white or black construction workers would be happy for those jobs. The secret words are “Cheap labor.” arrgghhh
After they moved out, the owner's crew worked on cleaning it up for three days. The carpet was trashed and the furniture had to be thrown out. They still have all the windows open, airing the place out.
The Mexicans have been disappearing quite rapidly in the past month. A Grocery Outlet store I sometimes shop at is always packed with them on Saturdays (some pushing several loaded carts) so there are always long checkout lines. The past two Saturdays the store was about as empty as I have ever seen it.
The condo builders are scaling down projects and delaying them as they have overbuilt and can't sell the existing units, so that could be another factor.
This only works until they learn that they shouldn’t run. If the ACLU is involved, they will get the word out to stay cool and don’t panic when the sheriff pulls up.
Ooh, I can hear that in my mind’s ear. Delicious.
don’t forget failing to pay worker’s comp premiums for the illegals. I hope the sheriff is hauling away the foreman too in those cases. Too bad the bleeding hearts aren’t looking out for the rights of the exploited workers. Oh wait, if they weren’t exploited, they wouldn’t need groups “advocating” for them, growing fat off the grant money.
My husband works construction here in Georgia, I just showed him the article, he thought it was great. I wouldn’t mind moving back to the beach.
Good on this sheriff.
I heard that a police cruiser turned on his flashing lights on a busy Panama City street and 5 cars were immediately abandoned. LOL!
We are proud of Sheriff Frank!
“the ACLU says its constitutionality is questionable.”
So, the American Communist’s Lawyers Union thinks police chase of a running suspect is “unconstitutional”? Might I ask where in the Constitution they found such?
Call the Waaaaambulance - their napies are nasty again and they are getting restless as a result.
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