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Immigration Enforcement Reform
Asking state and local law enforcement to don a second hat as federal immigration officers is poor public policy. “Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement” contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances. The report also describes troubling legal and political efforts to involve local police in federal immigration matters.
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Support for "Forcing Our Blues into Gray Areas"
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| "The Appleseed report is an essential primer for anyone who wants to understand how community policing and immigration law enforcement interact. It organizes best practices and expert advice in a way that is accessible for advocates and policy-makers." |
| -- Lynn Tramonte, Policy Director, America's Voice |
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“We are pleased that local and county law enforcement agencies across Alabama have resisted following in the footsteps of our Governor’s 2003 MOU, which engaged our State Troopers in immigration control.
Not only would officers needlessly be tossed into the dizzying intricacies of federal immigration law, but the day-to-day search for illegal aliens also would take time away from normal, and arguably more important, policing duties within the community. Solving murders, responding to a domestic violence report or recovering stolen property should prevail as priorities.
Should they arise, Alabama Appleseed will oppose any efforts of local or county law enforcement agencies to enter into the unfunded mandate of a 287(g) program.”
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| -- Shay M. Farley, attorney, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice |
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“As a law enforcement officer, my number one responsibility is community policing and community safety. It’s hard to accomplish that goal if the community is afraid to speak with the police: for example, if witnesses or victims of crime are afraid to come forward to report crimes for fear we might take action against them based on their immigration status.”
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| -- Nicolas Yanez, President, Latino Peace Officers Association, Omaha Chapter |
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| “We worry about how the 287(g) program will impact domestic violence victims. A woman will not call the police for assistance if there is any chance her husband will be placed in deportation proceedings once booked into the local jail. The victim will instead take the abuse out of concern for her children. The woman needs her husband, because typically he is the one putting a roof over the children's heads and food in their stomachs. Women forced to choose between letting her children starve or calling the police because she is abused will always choose what she perceives to be best choice for the children.” |
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-- Tammy Besherse, Staff Attorney, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
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