By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS
Democrats are pushing back against a Department of Homeland Security announcement last week that it will enter into new controversial agreements with local law enforcement agencies to combat illegal immigration.
Congressman Jared Polis, D-Boulder, said standardizing the 287 (g) program would only threaten the nation’s constitutional protections.
He points to accusations of racial profiling associated with the program, including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arapio in Phoenix, who is being investigated by the Justice Department. Organizations such as the ACLU and Congressional Hispanic Caucus are calling on the government to end the controversial program.
“We’ve watched in horror as (Arapio) and others ? a disgrace to the uniforms that they wear ? have detained people based solely upon the color of their skin,” Polis said Wednesday during a floor speech.
“287 (g) scares victims and witnesses of crimes to avoid contacting people for fear of being mistreated,” he continued. “287 (g) invites exploitation by those who know that they won’t be reported to police, because it combines the contradictory duties into the same police force.”
Homeland Security said that it would enter into new agreements with 67 state and local law enforcement agencies.
Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, an outspoken Republican on immigration issues, said the program is effective, and therefore should not be scaled back.
“To the extent that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would actually cooperate with a local law enforcement entity, it’s been marvelously effective,” said Tancredo. “We exponentially increase the manpower available to identify and get illegal aliens off our streets and out of the country.”
But the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition says the program does little to achieve comprehensive reform, which should be the ultimate goal.
“Expanding enforcement-only measures, like the 287 (g) program, does nothing to bring us closer to fixing our broken immigration system. It only succeeds in terrorizing communities and compromising safety,” said Julien Ross, executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. “Any program that has local police acting as immigration enforcement creates widespread fear ? victims and witnesses avoid the police, making all of us less safe. Moreover, racial profiling abounds, with people targeted for the way they look or speak.”
Distributed by Colorado Capitol Reporters
