Barack Obama Thinks ICE Is Nice, Formalizes Authorization Of Local Police To Enforce Federal Immigration Laws

So, say you have a necessary but highly flawed and powerful system in place to deal with illegal immigration - a system which has been continually found to use excessive force and abuse its power when dealing with confused and unarmed individuals. Would you a) attempt to acknowledge and fix these problems or b) expand this system’s power even further? 

Barack Obama has allowed for the expansion of 287(g) programs, which formalizes partnerships between local and federal authorities and allows local police to enforce federal immigration laws. To put a human face on the problems with expanding this particular system, we need only point to Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio who has, among myriad other questionable tactics, separated a (Latina) mother from her two very young children after she was taken in from not having paid a parking ticket and forced his (mostly Latino) inmates to wear pink underwear and cuffs in his jails. Arpaio has also consistently refused to turn over illegal immigration to federal authorities because he believes they will just “give them a free ride back to Mexico.” 

And then there is ICE’s long history of gross misconduct and unabashed xenophobia, particularly when it comes to Latinos who are immigrants or otherwise. Here’s just one example:

One particular 287(g) victim that the commission interviewed stands out. High school senior Justeen Mancha, who was born in the United States, was in her bathroom getting ready for school about 7:30 a.m. Her mother already had left for the morning, driving Justeen’s younger brother to elementary school along the way to work. As Justeen was brushing her hair, she heard a frightening crash at the front door of the house. It turns out it was ICE agents storming into her home, without a warrant or probable cause of any crime or immigration violation. Apparently, they only had some vague sense that Mexicans were living at this house. As she stepped out of the bathroom, Justeen faced seven armed agents with weapons drawn pointed at her, screaming, “Turn around and place your hands on the wall!” They shouted that they were searching for “Mexicans—illegals!” Justeen was shocked and traumatized. When she was able to speak, Justeen, who speaks with a heavy southern drawl belying her Georgia roots, explained that she did not know any “illegal” Mexicans. Indeed everyone in her family is a U.S. citizen. Yet, ICE agents held Justeen in her home for hours. 

The expansion of 287(g) programs is said to include a means of issuing complaints with officials and the promise that law enforcement working on immigration cases will be required to provide interpretation services for non-English speakers. Which really still doesn’t get to the heart of why local law officials are being granted the power to enforce federal immigration laws. 

Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, said that the new agreements relating to these programs would “support local efforts to protect public safety” by granting law enforcement tools identify “dangerous criminal aliens.”  So. Is this tool a phone book with names ending in “ez” highlighted in pink? 

While we’re glad that the government has put outreach and feedback options in place in dealing with ICE, we’re not sure they will amount to achieving anything more than the “Suggestions” box at a local shop and won’t inspire a change in unethical and divisive tactics or behavior on the part of certain law enforcement officials. In fact, this expansion seems suspiciously like a reward and a pat on the back more than anything.

Obama Expands Flawed Program of ICE-Police Cooperation [New America Media]