Illegal immigration enforcement program takes heavy toll on Hispanic populations

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: WP

A controversial program that deputizes local police officers to enforce immigration laws sent the Hispanic population plummeting in many places across the country, including Prince William and Frederick counties, according to a new report released Monday by the Migration Policy Institute.
In some cases, the initial decrease was dramatic, with Frederick County losing 61 percent of its Hispanic population between 2007 and 2009, and Prince William County losing almost 21 percent in the same period, according to the report, which relied on census data and school enrollment figures. The Hispanic populations have since rebounded but not to their previous levels.

The study by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute focused on seven places - including Prince William and Frederick - that have adopted the federal 287 (g) program, which is in use by at least 68 state and local law enforcement agencies.

Under the program, local police are trained to determine the immigration status of people they arrest and flag those found to be in the country illegally to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Once illegal immigrants are transferred to ICE custody, the government decides whether to begin deportation proceedings.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/31/AR2011013102607.html

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Some local law enforcement agencies, particularly in the Southeast, are turning over illegal immigrants who commit even minor offenses to federal authorities for deportation, while others are focused on deporting more violent criminals, according to a report released Monday.

The report by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank, said conflicting messages from the U.S. government and local political pressure may account for the discrepancy.

The study, which examined a program that allows participating local agencies to enforce federal immigration law, found that several agencies in the Southeast were turning over every illegal immigrant taken into custody. An influx of immigrants in the generally conservative region has heightened political tension, the report said. North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina were in the top six in terms of growth rates of foreign-born populations from 1990 to 2009.

"This regional pattern reflects common political pressures that stem from rapid demographic change," the report said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipcOgsppHGYzRog2NBmVP12guGJQ?docId=7c91fc9db18c48708ebae71a99c96ba3

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[annabanana]

3. i'm sure. .

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

4. No, I don't remeber that. Maybe you could provide a source.

Thanks.

[AlphaCentauri]

5. I'm not that old but you might remember, from 1836 until this day

many "Americans" have said the same thing about Mexicans

[annabanana]

2. I've said it before and I'll say it again. . ICE is a

rogue agency within DHS.