Do you think local police should strive to enforce immigration laws during routine police work?

I think police should strive to enforce immigration laws during routine police work.

Regardless of your position on the future of legal immigration in this country, state and local police will need to aid in enforcing these laws if they are ever going to have any meaning.

It doesn't matter if you think there should be a huge guest worker program or no guest worker program.

It also doesn't matter if you think the illegal immigrants here now should have amnesty or be forced to return to their country of origin.

Whatever you think immigration laws should be, I would presume you think they should be enforced and breaking them should have consequences. And to enforce them effectively, the police will have to participate.
This is a big country. It would take hundreds of thousands of federal immigration officers to police the whole country. That would cost too much and be too intrusive.

Instead, let's just let local law enforcement officers check immigration status as part of routine police work. They are already out there every day in big numbers across the entire country. If a police officer stops you for speeding and sees you have illegal drugs in the car, that officer will charge you for the drugs as well as the speeding. If that same officer on that same stop finds you are here illegally, why should you not be charged for that too?

Of course they should. The law is the law. Name one federal law that does not get enforced at the local level.
Do you honestly think that if a local police officer stopped someone on the FBI's 10 most wanted list he should let them go and say not my job man. he is wanted by the feds on a federal rap and I only do local stuff. Give me a break. This nonsense of it "is the Federal Governments responsibility" is just plain crap.

I certainly agree with police enforcing immigration law, and all of your points are sound. But some loon judge struck it down in Hazelton, so we can't. I wonder, who has more handcuffs on them, the police or the criminals??

YES

Yes I do.

Higher powers aren't doing a thing about it. Someone should.

All laws should be enforced at all times. It won't happen, but it sure would be a nice change.

Local police should strive to enforce all laws. That's what our taxes pay them to do.

Seeing as how 100% of law enforcement agents at all levels MUST swear to enforce ALL laws, this should be a no brainer! I have never seen a city cop refuse to ticket on "his" stretch of a freeway that was marked as a US freeway or an interstate or even just a state roadway.
If there was a way for the localities to rape the pocketbook of someone by detaining illegals, you could bet your bottom dollar that they would round up all the illegals in about 12 months!
As it is, they get no extra $$$ so they have no desire to enforce laws that are 'not thier jurisdiction'

I don't think they should. Immigration laws are federal laws, and it's the federal government's job to enforce it. Having police enforce immigration laws would distract them from doing their real jobs, which is patrolling the streets and keeping the city safe. Police officers are hired by the state or its subdivisions and sworn in by the state government.


And besides, you say "let's just let local law enforcement officers check immigration status as part of routine police work" as if it's just some trivial task. This would take a lot of extra work, a lot of training, and a lot of money. It's not as easy as "let me see your papers".

Yes, but they have to be trained by ICE, and the program that does it, 287g, is woefully underfunded. In some cities, like LA, the policy is sanctuary for illegal aliens; the police are told to NOT ask about anyone citizenship, even if it would get a gang member off the street! LA should not go to the federal govt for more funding for anti-gang programs when they have a sanctuary program for illegal aliens.

Yes. It would be no extra effort for local and state police to assist the federal government in locating and reporting illegal immigrants. Just do what they are doing now, and when the find an illegal in their enforcement of traffic laws, hold them for I.C.E. to come and get and deport.

They don't have to go out and look for them, just nab 'em when they are pulled over for a traffic violation and don't have a valid driver's license or documentation of a legal resident. If their papers aren't in order or are suspicious, just hold onto them until they can be checked out with immigration.

The attrition of illegals if this were done would go a long ways to finding them and deporting them. God knows how many illegals are pulled over for drunk driving and nothing is ever done about their immigration status, only the DUI.

Round 'em up ... head 'em out!

Absolutely...local police should strive to enforce immigration laws during their routine police work. Our police are supposed to "protect and defend" the public. All illegals are criminals to begin with whether or not the perpetrate an additional crime while in the U.S.; fact is they are criminals and need to be arrested, checked to see if there are any warrants out for them--if so, they go to jail and when they finish their sentence, throw their a$$ out of this country!

True, some loon judge in Pennsylvania is trying to stop Hazelton from eradicating these illegal alien criminals, but the fight is not over yet by a long shot!

Here in Arizona, we have Sheriff Joe Arpaio, he scoops them up and throws them in a makeshift jail called "tent city" located in the desolate, blistering Arizona desert. When it's 112 degrees in the city, it's upwards to 130 degrees in those tents. No smoking allowed, no porn magazines, no visitors, no TV, they work in chain gangs, and they get a green bologna sandwich for their work and any money they are given for their work goes toward their upkeep! Complaints? He gets many, but like he says "if you don't like it here, don't come back"!

GO SHERIFF JOE!!!!!

Yes. Not against witnesses, but routinely against perpetrators and those pulled over/arrested.

Whatever is done with those here, the problem will never end unless we dismantle the benefits and uniformly enforce our laws.

They have enough trouble getting their routine work done they don't need to be doing someone else's job,too.

If the police are going to be selective in law enforcement I want to them to let me speed and arrest illegals.
I'm an American citizen born and raised and I should have more say than 12 million illegals.

Since our federal government has failed us in enforcing the immigration laws and securing the borders, then it should go to the local level including the local police!! Laws have to be enforced from somewhere, why not at the local level??????

Yes, I believe they should. However, from what I understand, they are not allowed to do so. Very unfortunate.

That is what Bush just proposed this week, now its up to congress

The Real Question, can police do it w/o profiling? Can we the Citizens stop police when they become bigots themselves?

YES I DO AND IT HAPPENED HERE IN GEORGIA.A MAJOR STING ON GANG ACTIVITY AND DRUG ENFORCEMENT NETTED 40 + ILLEGALS IN A LARGE
TRAILER PARK IN JONESBORO,GA.THE PARK IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY A LATINO CORPORATION.
GO FIGURE. ICE CAME IN AND CLEANED HOUSE AND DEPORTED SEVERAL. AND AFTER THE COURT THE CASES FINISH ,SEVERAL MORE WELL GO.