Should local police be able to detain and turn over illegal immigrants?

Question

If an "illegal" commits a felony or gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time(oh well!!!), should the local police be able to detain, hold, and start deportation process?

I have no problem with immigrants coming to America, but I do have a problem with them doing it illegally. If someone jumps my backyard fence, I am not going to offer them a home and my services to them. It's the same thing, just on a smaller scale.

Answer 1

Whenever the police get in a situation where they would identify a suspect and run a background check, if the person came up with a warrant, they would be dealt with. Therefore, at the very least, when this situation occurs with an illegal alien, then the police should have the proper resources to handle this person. To me, that would be starting them on the road to deportation.

In effect, there should be an automatic warrant for any person that can not be identified by the police. At that point, the person may not necessarily be placed under arrest, but he will be detained until he/she can prove her identity. If they are here legally, no problem. If not, further investigation will determine what steps should be taken. Notice that I am not talking about random stops, but stops already occurring due to suspicious or criminal activity that has already occurred.

Answer 2

I think it's more an issue of the local police probably are not trained on proper processes for dealing with illegal immigrants...It's an INS/USCIS issue, where there are people properly trained in these matters...Good Lord, the local police in most areas have enough to do without have to do Immigration's job for them! I'd rather have the local police out protecting people of their towns and cities from truly dangerous criminals first...Now of course, if an illegal is committing a crime (besides being illegal that is), I think the police have no problem detaining or arresting them. That is within their range of responsibility.

Answer 3

In a 1996 Department of Justice legal opinion put it, “It is well-settled that state law enforcement officers are permitted to enforce federal statutes where such enforcement activities do not impair federal regulatory interests.”

But some have philosophical objections to using local police in any role that involves immigration.

Immigrant activists claim that police involvement would create a Gestapo atmosphere. But again, the question becomes what is best for Lodi’s common good: ignoring illegal aliens at the expense of the rights and liberties of U.S. citizens or moving to have aliens deported?

Others claim that localized immigration enforcement would reduce cooperation by ethnic communities with the police. According to them, if police took on immigration enforcement, illegal aliens would not report crimes and police departments would lose their trust, they say.

But this theory is speculation. And, no one contemplates a police round up of illegal aliens or mass deportations.

What’s proposed is that local officers, as they come into contact with suspects in their daily rounds, pursue immigration-related indicators during traffic stops or other routine encounters.

Besides, there are occasions in which an officer might decide not to ask about immigration status, such as when someone calls for help in an emergency. But police should be able to exercise authority in immigration matters when circumstances dictate.

Answer 4

Yes they should be able to. In fact, that is the problem. Local and state authorities should be able to work with the Federal govt on the illegal immigration issue. Look what's happening all over the U.S...Americans are getting raped and killed by illegals who should have been deported long ago. All of these crimes could have been prevented. One life taken is one too many.

Answer 5

Absolutely. Being here illegally is well...quite frankly...illegal.

They should have every right to detain them, and contact Border Patrol to begin the deportation process.

I can tell you this, that unfortunately, they are so busy, that when I worked in a small south Texas town, if the numbers were too small *i.e group of only 3) or ANYONE complained of an injury or illness, they would not take them. Too much paperwork. If we doubles the number of immagrants that we could process and deport annually, I think we would have less problems.

Answer 6

If they are caught committing a felony then yes they can hold them for federal immigration authorities, but they cannot deport them. However, they can't just stop you on the street because you 'look illegal' that is beyond their authority and constitutes harrassment and a violation of rights of that individual, who a police officer has no right to make an assumption about.

Answer 7

It is up to USICE whether or not to start deportation proceedings. Some cities have enabled their police departments to inquire the immigration status of someone they arrest, and report it to the feds if they are illegal. But then, what to do about it is up to the feds.

And a home is different from a country. Americans don't "own" their country like they own their homes.

Answer 8

Many years ago, my grandfather's deputy drove from somewhere in Idaho to Mexico to deport an illegal who was about to have a child. He crossed the border and delivered her to the hospital. The people of this country should have that commitment to opposing illegal immigration.

It is unfair to those who respect our laws and want to come in the right way.

Answer 9

The cops can detain anyone who committed something illegal. The word "illegal" means against the law thus illegal immigrants were those who violated the immigration law. No such thing as "semi-illegal" or "partially illegal".

Answer 10

Yes they should and in some cases, a citizen can arrest an illegal alien who is present in the USA after being deported or denied entry.