Second times a charm?(illegals)

[Detector]

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15022093/

CHARLOTTE - Police here operated for years under what amounts to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward illegal immigrants.

The program takes one of the most aggressive stances in the United States toward illegal immigrants, and officials in scores of communities, including Herndon and Loudoun County, are considering adopting their own version. The House earlier this month was weighing a measure "reaffirming" the authority of local law enforcement agencies to arrest people on suspicion of violating immigration laws.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph says there should be little sympathy for illegal immigrants caught by his program: They have already broken the law once by being here illegally, and then been arrested on suspicion of another crime.

"When any of them cross that border without proper documentation, they've violated the law -- however insignificant it may seem to some people," he said. "I've heard sad stories about folks wanting to come up here and have a better life and earn money for their family. I've arrested bank robbers who've had the same excuse."

[Made in the USA]

Unfortunately, unless the philosophies have changed, DC takes the "don't ask--don't tell" policy. I was told, by a former DCPD officer, that they don't want to start any problems with Excel. I don't know if this has changed since Ball has taken charge.

[J_Kidd]

I don't think that it's just Excel anymore, either... although the money always talks and Excel is big money. But now, with the popluation demographics of Dodge, I suspect that a dangerously high percentage of our local economy is dependant on illegal immigrants. I don't consider that an excuse, but it's a clear bet that the ones with the most to lose if the bottom drops out of the Dodge City ecomony surely do. Illegals are now a necessary evil as far as many people are concerned, and I for one don't know what it will take for that to change... but not much chance that it will happen, whatever it is.

[Made in the USA]

J Kidd, I was here before the illegals showed up, and things were going fine for me. DC used to be a nice little town in which to raise a family and live. Now, I am not lumping all illegals into one bag, some of them are actually workers and benefits to the community, while others are just trash. Problem is, they are all here ILLEGALLY!!! They put a strain on governmental services, health care, crime prevention, taxes, infrastructure, etc. Us LEGALS are the ones who pay for it.

[WizardofOz]

I don't think it has anything to do with "don't ask, don't tell" when it comes to illegals in DC. I've talked with several police here about it and what it boils down to is federal support. The police can't round up illegals on federal charges, since that isn't their jurisdiction. The other problem is that when illegals are arrested for say driving without a license or another criminal offense, they get taken to the jail. The jail can inform the nearest ICE center, which in DC's case is Wichita, if they want to hold the illegal for deportation. The majority of time ICE will tell them that they don't have the resources to pickup and transport. DC can't really afford to run a bus service all the way to the US/Mexico border. Besides, when they get dumped off they will just do what they always do....find another way across and the pattern repeats itself.

As far as Excel or National is concerned, yeah that got money and clout, but they are also full of BS if they claim that they don't hire illegals. How else would it be possible for a bunch of people to use the same social security number within a company to get away with it? Unless they are using the worst HR software in history, they know exactly what they are doing. The moral of the story is local communities like DC and others across the country are at the mercy of the federal government when it comes to immigration.