SoCo Magazine - May 2008 - (Page 43) “It depends on the incident or situation going on.” Circumstances allow for some discretion. “You could be dealing with something that resulted in a check,” he continues. “If you were checking on an individual behind a building, for instance, it’s a suspicious circumstance. You can run the name.” Then we discussed fake IDs: “An illegal licensed operator is a criminal offense,” says Bernier. “That issue would go before the courts after we have the person in custody. As soon as he’s in custody, the courts take over. “We don’t search out illegal aliens unless they’re wanted,” he says. In short, there is no process for local law enforcement to find illegal aliens. Lieutenant Jeffrey P. Silva, public relations officer for the New Bedford Police Department, shared similar thoughts. “We have no local policy,” says Silva. “It’s federally regulated. We call the feds if it’s a suspect for a violent crime. If illegal status is part of a crime, it’s an add-on. If an illegal has a fake ID, it’s no different than if I had a fake ID. They would be subject to arrest like anyone else. It’s a federal law. Congress has empowered federal law enforcement to enforce the immigration laws of this country. “Illegals are in and out of district court. They’re not ordered held by judges because there’s no infrastructure to deal with them. The prison system has a tough time keeping pace with incarcerated citizens, much less illegal immigrants.” We also discussed last year’s Bianco raid. “It was a federal probe,” Silva says. “I was there that day because I speak Spanish. I recognize the position of Monday morning quarterback: hindsight is 20/20. But to characterize that as an egregious violation of human rights run by a swarm of callous federal agents separating families… that’s not what happened. There were all kinds of representatives from human service agencies. “It was a debacle. The press demonized the special agent in charge and his agents with pictures of Mayans crying. Everyone agrees that’s sad—who wants to see anyone hurt, especially a child?” Silva says that resources and special needs services available to the illegals weren’t entirely utilized, even when they were asked if they had children and where they were. This is why children returned home parentless, with neighbors calling authorities and picking up the slack. “We’re a country of immigrants,” Immigration and customs says Silva. “I understand they were suspicious of police and enforcement includes human reticent to come forward on child care. Maybe they thought their trafficking, benefit fraud, child children might have a chance while they were caught. But to pornography over the Internet, say ICE officials came through with total disregard doesn’t property rights investigations tell both sides of the story. The mainstream media lacked (counterfeit goods, merchandise, interest or contrarily lacked people wanting to comment. etc.), and investigations into The coverage that I read locally and nationally didn’t present illegal arms and technology. both sides. If you won’t take affirmative steps to take care of “We have 75 teams deployed to your child, who will?” Silva thinks the raid was well locate and remove immigration handled, despite dramatic press coverage. “It was done humanely,” fugitives,” she says. Periodically, he says. “I thought it was very well planned. But the media gave she notes, ICE finds associates federal officials a forced feeding of humble pie when it was not of transnational gangs in due. There were local police, Mayan community organization Massachusetts here illegally people, translators, and people sensitive to the possibility of (they are also subject to arrest children coming home from school. If people don’t accept and removal). “It’s a goal of ICE the overtures being offered to them, it’s disingenuous to blame to remove criminal aliens from those offering the overtures after the fact. We had DSS on-hand. the U.S.,” Bernier says. I thought they did as much as they could. When we try to come I ask her what they do specifically. in and enforce coming here “We have warrants for individual legally—help us help you.” Major Steve O’Donnell, speaking for immigration fugitives—such as a the Rhode Island State Police, told me case that has already been through his team is in the process of revamping immigration removal proceedings and their protocols. Potential changes are ordered deported, but the person still currently under review by the Commission remains in the U.S. illegally in violation on Accreditation for Law Enforcement of that judicial order. It makes the person Agencies, so he wouldn’t speak in detail. a fugitive and a target of our fugitive He did note that Rhode Island’s State operations team.” Bernier says ICE conducts its own Police “consistently works with any state or federal law enforcement agency that criminal investigations every day and observes over 400 statutes of immigration needs our assistance and vice versa.” T h o s e a g e n c i e s i n c l u d e U . S . and customs law. Immigration and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. I cu sto ms en fo rcemen t i nc l ude s spoke to their public affairs spokeswoman, human trafficking, benefit fraud, child Paula Bernier, about their activities in the pornography over the Internet, property Northeast. She said that police contact rights investigations (counterfeit goods, merchandise, etc.), and investigations her office regularly. “We value our partnership with state and into illegal arms and technology. “We local law enforcement,” says Bernier. “We have 75 teams deployed to locate and have a resource for our law enforcement remove immigration fugitives,” she says. Periodically, she notes, ICE finds partners in Williston, Vermont, which is available for them should they need to associates of transnational gangs in query ICE.” Massachusetts here illegally (they are M ay 2 0 0 8 | s o co m a g azi ne . i nfo | 43 http://socomagazine.info
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