Some Police Agencies Resist New Immigration Control (license, illegal immigration, laws)

[zacatecana]

In California many police departments have been affected by the budget cuts and have had to cut down on staff. If we cannot have police tend to real life threatening emergencies, what good does it do to serve us and protect us? Spending time, energy and money to do raids is not the way to make use of them. We should be putting our efforts on enforcing our borders.

Some state and local police are having second thoughts about working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws.

We would also be faced with this issue...causing an increase in crime rates.

The contract "requires that we essentially train officers to be immigration enforcement officers on the street," Michel said. If crime victims "fear that we will snatch them up and deport them off the street, we find we don't have the level of trust we need."

Some police agencies resist new immigration controls - USATODAY.com

[Benicar]

This is one of several new strategies to facilitate illegal immigration. Shall we cease apprehending and prosecuting shoplifters, embezzlers, swindlers, welfare frauds, tax evaders, identity thieves, and other nonviolent criminals? I’m sure many of these folks are also seeking a better life, and trying to support their families. Is it fair not to enforce our immigration laws, while we enforce other laws that remove the breadwinner from the family and separate children from their parents?

Should we have two categories for each law -- one for those with ‘selfish’ motives, and another for those only trying to survive? Should we excuse those driving without a license if they are commuting to or from work to support their family? Should we excuse shoplifters who steal clothes for their children? Should we excuse embezzlers who use a portion of their ill-gotten gains to pay for college tuition or other worthy causes?

Has a correlation been determined between police pursuing non-violent ‘citizen’ criminals, and an increase in crime? If we are not going to enforce our laws, why should we have them? ALL of our laws must be enforced, including immigration.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by Benicar

This is one of several new strategies to facilitate illegal immigration. Shall we cease apprehending and prosecuting shoplifters, embezzlers, swindlers, welfare frauds, tax evaders, identity thieves, and other nonviolent criminals? I’m sure many of these folks are also seeking a better life, and trying to support their families. Is it fair not to enforce our immigration laws, while we enforce other laws that remove the breadwinner from the family and separate children from their parents?

Should we have two categories for each law -- one for those with ‘selfish’ motives, and another for those only trying to survive? Should we excuse those driving without a license if they are commuting to or from work to support their family? Should we excuse shoplifters who steal clothes for their children? Should we excuse embezzlers who use a portion of their ill-gotten gains to pay for college tuition or other worthy causes?

Has a correlation been determined between police pursuing non-violent ‘citizen’ criminals, and an increase in crime? If we are not going to enforce our laws, why should we have them? ALL of our laws must be enforced, including immigration.

Excellent points..I've used them before. The VAST majority of non-violent, minor criminals are "nice" people...some of them VERY nice. They all have families who love them. Some petty criminals, in fact, are a lot 'nicer' than some OTHER folks who would never THINK of breaking the law.

But "niceness" or "friendliness" or personal situations aren't the issue here..the issue is law. If you break the law, you're penalized, whether you're a 'nice guy' or not. That's what laws are....arbitrary rules which require obedience, if they're to have any meaning at all.

American law may seem cold and impersonal, but it beats the HELL out of laws in some other places, where "law" depends on who you are, who your family is, what your religion is, or how well you know the Chief of Police.

There are "no illegal humans". But there are a LOT of humans who do illegal things....and when they DO...we usually insist they stop, by means of citing them, fining them, jailing them....or, in the case of those here illegally, sending them home. Otherwise, our 'gentle' laws would lose their effectiveness, and we'd soon have to replace them with LESS GENTLE laws. I prefer a 'self-policing' society rather than the 'iron fist' approach found in so many places. 'Self-policing' requires that we obey the law....voluntarily or otherwise.