Analyst's note: A bill being drafted by a state legislator would limit local law enforcement from holding arrestees on behalf of immigration authorities seeking to deport them. When the beautiful state of California does finally collapse or withdraws from the union, I don't want to hear even the first mention of them getting financial support from the rest of the United States. We need to keep in mind that illegal immigration into the United States is breaking the law. A country who can not or will not control their borders will not long stand.
"A bill being drafted by a state legislator would limit local law enforcement from holding arrestees on behalf of immigration authorities seeking to deport them.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) said he is finalizing amendments to a bill that would be the first statewide measure to counter the Secure Communities enforcement program, which requires law enforcement agencies to forward to immigration authorities the fingerprints of all arrestees booked into local jails.
If those authorities identify a candidate for deportation, they can issue a detainer, which asks the agency to hold them beyond the time when they would normally be released so immigration agents can take custody. The program has come under fire because many of those ensnared have never been convicted of crimes or are low-level offenders.
[....] Although the exact language is not yet finalized, the legislation would be similar to policies in Cook County, Ill., and Santa Clara County that instruct law enforcement agencies not to cooperate with certain detainer requests, the assemblyman said. The restrictions will probably be introduced in the spring as an amendment to AB 1081, known as the Trust Act, which attempted to allow local law enforcement to opt out of the fingerprint program and had ample support in the Assembly last year.
Local policies limiting detainers have generated a great deal of controversy. John Morton, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, recently wrote to the Cook County Board of Commissioners to warn them that their rules may be in violation of federal law.
[....] "Even though some aliens may be arrested on minor criminal charges, they may also have more serious criminal backgrounds which disguise their true danger to society," Navas said. "Jurisdictions that ignore detainers bear the risk of possible public safety risks."
Immigrant advocates argue that law enforcement agencies are unduly burdened by holding people who are not charged with crimes, are eligible to post bond or have been ordered released by a judge. [....]
