'Broken Windows' of immigration

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Originally published 09:34 p.m., November 12, 2003, updated 12:00 a.m., November 13, 2003

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A U.S. Senate hearing today considers the role of state and local police in immigration enforcement. Senators should keep foremost in mind the consequences of the government's current practice.

Perhaps the worst practice within the U.S. government is its demoralizing message to state and local law enforcement. This horrendous de facto policy undermines respect for the rule of law and has put hundreds of thousands of criminal and illegal aliens on American streets.

Some call this the Department of Homeland Security's "catch and release" policy. I call it "let them go."

Every day across America, this scenario occurs: In the course of his duties, a state or local police officer encounters an illegal or criminal alien. Often, he runs across several foreign lawbreakers at once. The officer contacts federal authorities. Immigration officials tell the police officer they are not coming to take the illegal alien into custody, so let him go.

This happened in Greensburg, Pa., when local officers caught seven illegal aliens in a routine traffic checkpoint for seat-belt wearing. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were contacted, told the police to check the NCIC criminal database and hold the lawbreakers only if there was a warrant for the arrest of any of them.

No warrants had been issued for those known immigration violators. Besides, hardly any immigration offenses appear in NCIC. So police released the illegal aliens -- with a friendly reminder to wear their seat belts.

On an interstate highway in Indiana, state troopers stopped a van with 15 people in it, all suspected illegal aliens. One was a drug trafficker. This time, ICE officers showed up and took them into custody, only to release them later.

The widespread problem of "let them go" was inherited from the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. But INS enforcement officers developed the practice because previous administrations -- Democrat and Republican -- have starved the enforcement side of the house. The lion's share of "resources" has poured into the feel-good "services" side.

Thanks to "let them go" policies, continuing even after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans face increased dangers in their streets and neighborhoods.

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