The Laws Cops Can’t Enforce

For at least the last two years, we have written often about state and local efforts to enforce the immigration laws and “crack down” on “illegal aliens.”   George Gascón, a former assistant chief in the Los Angeles Police Department, and current chief of the police department in Mesa, Arizona has a thoughtful op/ed in the N.Y. Times today:

Immigration issues are tearing apart communities. Demagoguery and misinformation are shaping public opinion and in some cases public policy. In the absence of a clear federal policy on immigration, states and cities are enacting draconian and constitutionally questionable laws.

This patchwork of conflicting local immigration laws is creating an untenable situation for police officials who face demands to crack down on immigrants — demands that contradict policing practices that have led to significant declines in crime.

For police officials, refusing to carry out policies that may violate the Constitution can be career-threatening. Both sides in the immigration debate accuse police departments of misconduct in dealing with immigrants. In this politically charged environment, some chiefs are making decisions based on bad politics instead of sound policing. In many cases, police officers are making illegal arrests with the acquiescence and sometimes explicit approval of their superiors.

Click the link above to read more.

KJ