It's been more than two years since state lawmakers convened in a special legislative session and passed a host of bills aimed at tackling illegal immigration on the local and state level.
But now, in the wake of two high-profile arrests in Aurora of suspected illegal immigrants with lengthy criminal records, more questions are being raised about what role local law enforcement should play in immigration matters. In both of the Aurora cases, police say they referred the men to federal authorities after previous arrests. But in each case, the men were back on Aurora streets within months.
And, some politicians say, the two Aurora cases illustrate something that has been clear to them for months: No matter how often local police refer suspected illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, if there isn't adequate federal response, the efforts of local cops will be for naught.
"Local law enforcement has a mandate to report (suspected illegal immigrants,) but there is no corresponding mandate for ICE to respond," said State Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora.
In the wake of the two Aurora cases - one in which police say a suspected illegal immigrant caused a crash that killed three people, another in which police say a suspected illegal immigrant returned to Aurora after being deported and tried to kill a man - lawmakers, including Carroll, called for investigations into the way the state deals with illegal immigrants.
Gov. Bill Ritter on Sept. 11 asked Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director Peter Weir to conduct a thorough review of the system.
Ritter said the two cases "tragically highlight the need to constantly review gaps and make changes to close them.
"Immigration enforcement is ultimately the responsibility of the federal government," Ritter said. "And clearly, Washington has failed to fix a broken system. But at the local and state levels where we are on the front lines, we have a responsibility to identify and help solve problems.
The danger of the legislature is to pass bills for bills' sake," she said. "Any time you have an intensely charged situation, you need to be measured to make sure what you're doing is act solving a problem."
http://www.aurorasentinel.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=2054 7 (broken link)
Either Obama's minions have already gained enough power to slow the raids or deportations or the border patrol has become less than enthusiastic a result of how mistreated they are. Who wants to risk their life and freedom knowing that there is a possibility of your own government railroading you into a long stretch in a prison cell?
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