December 11, 2006

Immigration enforcement is for feds

By Nate LaClaire

An interesting view of Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney’s decision to give state police the task of arresting illegal immigrants from Thomas Keown, the director of media relations for the Irish Immigration Center in Boston:

…beyond immigration it is the purely law enforcement angle that shows most clearly the danger of state police enforcing immigration law. Effective community policing depends on effective partnerships. Police departments have worked hard to build trust between them and the communities they protect. This new duty would shatter the relationships so painstakingly pieced together by making immigrants – legal and undocumented – fearful of a force that benefits from their backing.

News will sweep through the immigrant community that any contact with police carries the risk of deportation. Immigrants will be deterred from reporting crimes they have been victims of, been a witness to or even just from flagging suspicious behavior. Safety in your neighborhood depends on police being able to do their job, and we should be encouraging, not discouraging, your neighbors to co-operate with them.

Source: BostonHerald.com – Opinion & Editorial: Immigration enforcement is for feds

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