Does cooperating with ICE harm local police? What the research says
In this post on The Conversation, the authors evaluate the research on the claim of police – especially in so-called “sanctuary cities” – that their jobs will become more difficult if they are forced to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The last two pargraphs of the post read as follows:.
“It is worth noting that immigrant communities have lower crime rates than nonimmigrant communities. This means that deporting immigrants does little to promote public safety. This may seem counterintuitive when the Trump administration advocates deporting “criminal aliens” – those in the country illegally who have engaged in crime – to keep communities safe. But research shows that public safety may in fact be undermined when police act as immigration enforcers, especially among those whose only crime is the lack of proper paperwork.
A tough stance toward enforcing immigration laws can make immigrants, as well as the general public, cynical toward police, weakening their trust and legitimacy. Police are right when they say forcing them to work with ICE will make their job harder.”
KJ