Slayings prompt N.J. to change alien policy

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The state attorney general yesterday responded to a brutal triple slaying by ordering New Jersey law enforcers to notify federal immigration officials whenever an illegal alien is arrested on suspicion of an indictable offense or drunken driving.

Attorney General Anne Milgram reviewed the state's policy in light of the execution-style killings Aug. 4 of three Newark college students and the wounding of a fourth.

One of the six suspects was an illegal who had been granted bail on child rape and aggravated assault charges without immigration officials being alerted to his existence.

Stressing that she did not want to "Monday morning quarterback" the Newark case, Miss Milgram said that if the policy had been in place when Jose Carranza, a 28-year-old Peruvian illegal, was indicted on the earlier charges, federal officials might have placed an immigration hold on him, meaning he would have remained in custody or bail might have been set higher because of his immigration status.

The killings highlighted the need "to have a uniform state policy on notification to immigration," Miss Milgram said. Before the directive, "all police departments in our state had complete discretion as to if, when and how to notify immigration authorities."

The policy applies immediately to all state and local law enforcement and to prosecutors. It also specifies that police notify prosecutors and courts when illegal aliens are arrested. It prohibits officers from checking the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses or people seeking police assistance.

The triple homicide rocked Newark, a city already reeling from a 50 percent rise in the homicide rate since 1998, and prompted an outcry over the lack of communication between local authorities and immigration officials.

That Mr. Carranza was out on bail after being accused of committing serious felonies also enraged some, including state Sen. Shirley Turner, who yesterday urged bail restrictions for accused illegal aliens. The Democratic legislator proposes that illegals be required to post a full cash bail if they are charged with committing a crime in New Jersey.

A bail bondsman put up $150,000 for Mr. Carranza — the lowest amount recommended for someone accused of sexually assaulting a child — and he walked out of the Essex County Jail in May. Seven months earlier, he paid $2,000 to get out of the same jail after being charged with assault and weapons possession after a bar fight. He was allowed to put up 10 percent after a judge set bail at $20,000.

Authorities have said they did not know he was an illegal alien when those bails were set.

"I often see people back on our streets that I believe should not be back on our streets after they've committed serious crimes," Newark Mayor Cory Booker said. "I would be remiss if I wasn't calling for larger changes and larger reforms in the state of New Jersey and the United States."