Jan 15, 2007 7:47 pm US/Central
Suburban Cops May Get Role In Deportation Process
Fight Against Illegal Immigration Could Be Widened To Include Police Dept.
by Katie McCall
CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. (CBS) ―
Some police in the suburbs may soon join the fight against illegal immigration.
CBS 2 North Suburban Bureau Chief Katie McCall reports opponents of the plan fear it would end up making everyone less safe.
Police in Carpentersville say a federal program could help them get rid of criminals who live there illegally.
"It's an assistance to them to crack down on felons who may be deportable," said Carpentersville Village President Bill Sarto.
The village has applied for approval from the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, to train some of its officers so they could help deport offenders who are also illegal immigrants.
"They would receive some additional training in spotting fraudulent identification and they would have training in federal immigration law," said Carpentersville Police Department Chief Dave Neumann.
The designation would allow the officers to ask people about their immigration status, check their documentation to see if they are in the U.S. legally, and, if they are not, start the deportation process.
"This program is not designed to do widespread deportations," Neumann said.
Opponents say the program would actually make Carpentersville less safe, because undocumented immigrants would be less inclined to call the police in an emergency.
"If your husband is beating on you, you don't want to call the police department because the police are going to ask are you legal or illegal," said Silvia Realzola, president of the Carpentersville Community Alliance, a civil rights group.
Forty percent of Carpentersville residents are Latino.
Members of the Carpentersville Community Alliance say local police should not enforce immigration law. They are also concerned about racial profiling.
"I'm an immigrant. But my kids are U.S. citizens and they're going to be targeted," said Elva Mejia, a member of CCA.
Carpentersville police estimate three of its officers would receive the training. If approved, they would be the first in Illinois to participate in the program.
(CBS 2 and the Northwest Herald are news partners covering stories in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. If you know of stories happening in this region, contact us.)
