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Main Page Worcester Chief hands-off on Immigration enforcement
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Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Friday, August 17, 2007

Police chief takes hands-off stance on immigration

By Mark Melady TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER— Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said last night that city police officers should not enforce immigration laws because doing so would threaten a basic civil right to privacy and wreck community policing.

“This is not a country where we ask to see papers,” Chief Gemme said in an interview after his appearance before the city’s Human Rights Commission on the department’s anti-gun violence efforts.

He was asked to comment on Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes’ remarks earlier this week that she could not get information about the number of illegal immigrants in the city from either the school or police departments.

“I don’t want the Police Department trying to establish who’s here legally or illegally,” Chief Gemme said. “We’re trying to build trust with the community. We’re not going to do that if we’re asking people who’s here illegally.”

Asking local law officers to check immigration status would have “a chilling effect” on their ability to interact with people, especially in a city with a large immigrant population, Chief Gemme said.

Immigration status is best handled by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, he said.

Chief Gemme went before the Human Rights Commission to update members about the department’s efforts to curb rising gun violence in the city. No one involved in recent shootings has been an illegal immigrant, he said, and the department has found “no strong relationship” between violent crime and illegal immigrants.

Immigrants with and without papers packed last night’s commission meeting in support of a proposal by the Worcester Immigrant Coalition to make Worcester a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

A draft version of a proposed sanctuary city resolution to bring before the City Council was presented to the commission. It defines a sanctuary city as a “safe haven for refugees and immigrants from other countries.” The resolution calls on the council to ask ICE not to conduct immigration raids that are unrelated to public safety and serious crime.

Saulo Araujo, a coalition leader, told the commission the resolution also calls on the city to delete “illegal immigrant” and “alien” from its official language. “Those terms further marginalize the immigrant community,” Mr. Araugjo said.

He and other speakers said immigration should be seen as a moral, not a legal, issue.

Commission member Edward G. Robinson agreed, saying the term “illegal immigrant” was misleading because being in this country without proper papers is a civil, not a criminal, violation.

Peter Stefan, owner of Graham, Putnam and Mahoney Funeral Parlors and active in the African immigrant community, said the issue was neither moral nor legal, but rather pure economics.

“If you take out illegal immigrants, the economy would collapse,” Mr. Stefan said.

Community activist Kevin Ksen said the sanctuary city resolution “would make a strong statement against hate in this city.”

Several speakers told the commission of the difficulties undocumented immigrants face every day. One woman, speaking through an interpreter, said her two sons, 21 and 19, lost jobs they held for four years when the business closed. Now they cannot apply for work because they do not have papers and more and more companies are refusing to hire the undocumented, especially after a raid at a New Bedford factory resulted in 300 arrests.

Because they are out of work, her sons can no longer afford to go to college, she said.

“What do they do without being able to work or study?” the woman asked tearfully. “They’ve been here since the sixth grade. They have no criminal record. What hope do they have?”

Francis Cerone, an immigrant who works with newly arrived immigrants, said, “We came here not to have fun or to get into trouble. We came here to work.”

Another woman said many of the immigrants without papers could do more than just hold down menial jobs Americans don’t want.

“We have the ability to contribute to society,” she said. “Many of us have degrees we can’t use.”

After more than an hour of testimony, the commission put off voting on the sanctuary city resolution until its Sept. 10 meeting or sooner if a special meeting could be arranged. Only four of the seven commissioners were at the meeting and Chairman Cheryl Pope said she wanted the full commission to consider the measure.

Member Lois Smith said she favored the resolution. Mr. Robinson said he was concerned with the term “sanctuary” and other language in the draft resolution. Ms. Pope said she wanted all people to be treated with dignity and respect. Member Eduardo Rivera did not comment.

The sanctuary resolution has sparked a sometimes angry debate about illegal immigration in the city, based on the listener comments on the Jordan Levy radio talk show on WTAG and those made on the Telegram & Gazette Web site. “Some of them are atrocious,” Frances R. Manocchio, the city’s human rights director, said of the Web comments. She said one called for all illegal immigrants to be hung.

Mayor Lukes has expressed her opposition to the proposed resolution, while other councilors have withheld comment. At-large councilor candidate Bill McCarthy said the issue “threatens our local economy, security, public safety and the city’s fiscal well-being.”

In response to the threat he sees, Mr. MCarthy wants to limit the number of families living in single-family houses, levy fines on landlords who rent to “illegal aliens,” limit the number of cars a family can park on city streets overnight to two, and make English the official language of Worcester, among other measures.

“My plan is to make Worcester the toughest city in America for illegal immigrants so we will discourage illegals from moving here,” Mr. McCarthy said.

McCarthy should have been elected SHERIFF!!

Posted by: Delta784

Very simple solution to this growing problem; if a state/county/city/town refuses to cooperate with ICE personnel, then ALL Federal funding to that branch of government should be immediately shut-off.

Watch how fast they do a 180-degree turn then.

Posted by: Wolfman

Quote:

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said last night that city police officers should not enforce immigration laws because doing so would threaten a basic civil right to privacy and wreck community policing.

“This is not a country where we ask to see papers,” Chief Gemme said in an interview after his appearance before the city’s Human Rights Commission on the department’s anti-gun violence efforts.

Hey Chief, I bet you see someone with a gun on his belt you'll ask to see his papers!

If you want to enforce laws, be a cop.

If you want to force your political and moral agenda down people's throats, run for office.

Pull your nose out of the illegal's asses and get to work.

Posted by: Deuce

Guess this means I can selectively enforce the laws too. Great no more domestics,accidents or medical calls.. Thanks chief!

Posted by: mikemac64

Of course down in NJ the Newark cops and prosecutors are being raked daily on cable news and the print media for not checking the immigration status of those fvckers who excecuted the 3 students and raped and attempted to kill the 4th.

Not only is Newark a "Sanctuary City", NJ is a "Sanctuary State"!!!

Posted by: SinePari

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBC FL Cop

At-large councilor candidate Bill McCarthy said the issue “threatens our local economy, security, public safety and the city’s fiscal well-being.”

In response to the threat he sees, Mr. MCarthy wants to limit the number of families living in single-family houses, levy fines on landlords who rent to “illegal aliens,” limit the number of cars a family can park on city streets overnight to two, and make English the official language of Worcester, among other measures.

“My plan is to make Worcester the toughest city in America for illegal immigrants so we will discourage illegals from moving here,” Mr. McCarthy said.

McCarthy should have been elected SHERIFF!!

Grapefruits, man, grapefruits. I have known Bill for a few years now, and he is 100% top shelf. It's just that a man in this city with an "R" next to his name doesn't get many endorsements during elections.

He'll run for councilor, then I'm sure he'll run for Mayor. Former CT Trooper, runs the CJ program at QCC, and the eaches at Anna Maria also. Scout Master, Little League and American Pie type of guy.

If and when ICE enforces laws in Worcester, they can swing through any DDs before the mission, and when their drive-through order gets screwed up from the old Albanian women there, then maybe we'll see an immigrant sweep.

Oakham is looking pretty good right now. I'm outta this city.

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