Newark Slayings Fan Hysteria over Illegal Immigrant Crime Wave

As we have blogged, Republicans like Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney seek to stir up ant-immigrant sentiment by pointing to the fact that the Newark murders allegedly were the handiwork of an undocumented immigrant.  Both could learn from the Hutchinson Political Report (“Newark Slayings Fan Hysteria over Illegal Immigrant Crime Wave,” Aug. 19).  Earl Ofari Hutchinson has written a thoughtful piece on immigrants and crime.  It begins:

“When Newark Mayor Cory Booker learned that the alleged shooters in the execution killing of three black college students were illegal immigrants, he did the responsible thing. He did not finger point a porous border and lax law enforcement for allegedly letting so many supposed violent prone illegal immigrants slip into the country as the cause of the killings. Booker may have said and did the right thing as a responsible public official, and in this case a black elected official, who did not want to arouse public passions any more than they already were over the murders. He certainly did not want to inflame the always fragile tensions between blacks and Latinos any more than they already are.”

The fallout from the Newark murders continue, however.  New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram today ordered all local police officers in New Jersey to inquire about the immigration status of suspects charged with serious crimes, and to notify federal immigration authorities if there is reason to believe the suspect is in the country illegally. The requirements, which go into effect immediately, apply to suspects arrested for specific indictable offenses and for driving while intoxicated, Milgram said. If the suspect is unable to prove he or she is legally in the United States, the police officer is required to notify Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, she said.   Good luck getting the immigrant community — witnesses, crime victims, etc. — to cooperate with local police!

KJ