Immigration Clearinghouse

From Sacramento California, through Iowa, Texas and down to New Orleans, the head honcho’s of America’s law enforcement community are calling for common sense Immigration Reform, and now.

Retired Sacramento Police Chief Art Venegas founded a group this year, called The Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative.

Among those now supporting Venegas’ effort are national Latino and black law enforcement organizations, and officers in Miami, Austin and New Orleans.

In 2007, Immigration Reform was on the table. It failed in part “possibly because law enforcement could have added input and brought some sensible positions,” said Venegas, who retired from the Sacramento force in 2002.

Venegas also noted that of the 18,200 state and local law enforcement agencies in the nation, only about 75 had signed up or were about to sign up for the 287(g) program, which allows local and state officers to be trained in targeted enforcement of federal immigration law.

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel has also joined in the call for Immigration Reform.

Braziel said Congress must take a two-pronged approach: tighter borders and a way to allow undocumented immigrants who are productive to stay in the U.S. legally. Now, many are afraid to assist in criminal investigations, Braziel said.

“We need to remember that there are at least 12 million people out there who are unauthorized to be in this country, and they’re our neighbors,” Braziel said during a telephone press conference Thursday with police officials from Iowa and Texas.

“They’re the ones that live down the street, participate in our communities, send children to our schools.”

Their fear of deportation is putting the general public at risk, Braziel said. He told the story of a couple rear-ended by a drunk driver. “Prior to the police showing up, all of the witnesses left,” Braziel said, “And the reason they left is because none of them had legal status in this country.”

Braziel and the other law enforcement officials said their agencies don’t quiz people about their status during minor traffic stops and smaller infractions, but will work with federal immigration officials to apprehend illegal immigrants suspected of serious crimes.

“You’ve heard the jails are full of undocumented people, there’s a crime invasion, and we all know that is really not the case,” Venegas said. “What’s truly needed is a sensible dialogue on immigration reform.”

SOURCES:

• Dallas Morning News
• Sacramento Bee