Charlie Beck Speaks Out Against Arizona Immigration Law

WASHINGTON — Arizona's new immigration law and similar proposals in other states would lead to an increase in crime, some police chiefs from around the country told Attorney General Eric Holder in an hourlong meeting Wednesday.

The chiefs told the attorney general that having to determine whether a person is in the United States illegally will break down the trust that police have built in communities and will divert law enforcement resources away from fighting crime.

If that happens, "we will be unable to do our jobs," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. "Laws like this will actually increase crime, not decrease crime."

Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said the requirements of the new law are so burdensome that "we doubt the federal government can even handle the numbers of people we will bring to them" on immigration status.

The new law "puts Arizona law enforcement right in the middle" at a time when police budgets are already in crisis, said John Harris, president of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.

On Monday, the FBI reported that both violent crime and property crime dropped dramatically last year, a trend the police chiefs said could be imperiled if immigration is added to law enforcement's responsibilities.

The Obama administration is weighing a possible court challenge to the Arizona law and "the attorney general said he would be making decisions fairly quickly," though he did not elaborate, said Harris, who is police chief in Sahuarita, Ariz.

The chiefs, who spoke to reporters after the hourlong meeting with Holder, said the subject of filing a lawsuit never came up.

Holder has expressed reservations about the new law, saying it could lead to racial profiling. Three weeks ago, the Justice Department's civil rights division head told some Arizona leaders that DOJ staff is analyzing the potential effects of the new state law.

The other police chiefs in the meeting were from Philadelphia, Houston, Minneapolis, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Montgomery County, Md. The meeting was facilitated by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C., organization of self-described progressive police executives from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies.

Arizona immigration law empowers police to question anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. It faces five lawsuits, including two from individual police officers, and two people filed paperwork this week to begin gathering signatures for separate ballot measures opposing the law.

Two previous proposals for ballot measures were abandoned, one because backers weren't confident they could win the issue in November. The other was scrapped because its backers feared voter support for the law would trigger constitutional protections and prevent future changes by lawmakers.

The Arizona law goes into effect July 29.

Comments

[maribennet]

04:34 AM on 06/11/2010

The most interesting posts and debates are waiting for you on http://immigration.civiltalks.com/ .Come and share your point of view- it really counts!

[Faelsun]

05:42 PM on 05/29/2010

This isn't Just about immigration its about a record number of illegals while at the same time we have a record unemployment rate. The United States has always been pro immigrant to a level we can contain, what Mexico seems to want to insist on is that we should have a totally open border, we never agreed to that. Economy of Mexico vs the United States, duh, they should have had border patrols in the first place.

It's not their fault, I mean who wouldn't want to live in this country. This whole problem is because of our politicians trying to get the coveted Mexican Vote and exploiting immigrants so to get favorable marks from their registered voter family members.

If you want to punish someone punish the businesses paying these people slave wages, at a time when we have outrageous unemployment.

[Esther in Phoenix]

12:27 PM on 05/28/2010

Guys, no one is listening to you. There are just soo many people upset due to all the wrong information being laid out there regarding illegals(crime is high, home invasions, drug dealers, taking all of our jobs, don't pay taxes, etc...). These people, after reading this, will call you "illegal lovers" before actually trying to understand what you are saying and why. They don't care.

God bless you for putting you life on the line everyday; not only because of the big bad illegals, but also from some of us; Americans.

[had-enough]

02:30 PM on 05/27/2010

HAS ANYONE READ THE MEXICAN IMMIGRATION LAWS YET??????????? They put Arizona to shame! PLEASE READ THEM!

[thepoliticalcat]

02:49 PM on 05/27/2010

Are we supposed to be following the Mexicans' lead on everything now? Besides, since you're clearly not aware (in every sense of the word), those laws were repealed some time ago. Votes against repeal were ZERO.

[lotus321]

03:56 PM on 05/27/2010

But their application has not change..they still racially profile

[EricEFNY]

03:55 PM on 05/28/2010

From article 33 of the Mexican Constitution o:

CONSTITUCIÓN POLÍTICA DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Constitución publicada en el Diario Oficial de la Federación el 5 de febrero de 1917
TEXTO VIGENTE
Última reforma publicada DOF 27-04-2010

Artículo 33. Son extranjeros los que no posean las calidades determinadas en el artículo 30. Tienen derecho a las garantías que otorga el Capítulo I, Título Primero, de la presente Constitución; pero el Ejecutivo de la Unión tendrá la facultad exclusiva de hacer abandonar el territorio nacional, inmediatamente y sin necesidad de juicio previo, a todo extranjero cuya permanencia juzgue
inconveniente.
Los extranjeros no podrán de ninguna manera inmiscuirse en los asuntos políticos del país."

Not following the lead on anything. The fact is all here have their day in court..or due process. The above states under the power of the executive ANY foreigner may be removed at the discretion of the same without trial or judgment given by a court of law. The sole reason necessary is the opinion of the executive that your presence it detrimental to Mexico.

It further states you may not participate in ANY political speech or activity.

What we are saying is we are BETTER than Mexico with our laws. Everyone present here in the US gets their day in court..unlike Mexico. The AZ laws allow for that day in court.

[pinkdivinity]

12:27 PM on 05/27/2010

With the extreme fiscal problems in LA, who paid for C.O.P. Beck to spend the day in Washington, D.C. for his personal opinion @ staged media theatrics?

[Esther in Phoenix]

12:32 PM on 05/28/2010

The same people who pay Sheriff Arpaio and his officers to special lunches and trips.

[JohnnyBlack]

02:29 AM on 05/27/2010

Charlie Beck is making points with the LA City Council, which is against the SB1070. I know a lot of guys on LAPD, and they have ZERO problem with the Arizona la.

[thepoliticalcat]

02:52 PM on 05/27/2010

That's because the "guys" you know want an excuse to run around be@t!ng up "Messcans." The police chief is responsible for figuring out how his department's budget will be balanced. AZ SB 1070 allows ANY citizen OR RESIDENT of AZ to sue ANY police officer both in his individual capacity AND as a member of the PD if they feel this law is not being enforced stringently enough for THEM. Guess who pays the court costs: http://kalimao.blogspot.com/2010/05/boycott-arizona.html

[Esther in Phoenix]

12:39 PM on 05/28/2010

I know you are wrong. Unless the cops are speaking out of both sides of their mouth, which might be possible. I have actual family members in the police dept, both if Cali and AZ. Their departments held a census taken and surprise, surprise. They are for deporting illegals but against the law because it "legalizes" racial profiling. They and we all know that racial profiling exists, but no need to make it a law. Just like we know that a bunch of the guys pushing this law are affiliated with the KKK/ARYAN NATION/WHITE POWER but you don't see them wearing the white sheets. Why do you think that Gov Brewer & Pearce cancelled their rally; "Supporters for the SB1070" this week. Its because a majority of the attendees are members of these "old gangs". This is a fact and it was published in the news, not by FOX though.

[spytheweb]

03:07 PM on 05/29/2010

This is why we need national biometric finger print cards for all US citizens. Can't tell the players without a scorecard.

[jerryfromcalifornia]

01:33 AM on 05/27/2010

For the police the biggest problem is that an arrest takes 1 to 2 officers off the street for 2-3 hours. To inforce this law will strip the streets of police officers and then will protect you.
jerry belairca

[thepoliticalcat]

02:55 PM on 05/27/2010

Other, very big problems: because SB 1070 permits any citizen or resident of the state to sue any police officer/police department for failing to enforce the law sufficiently (i.e., to the taste of whatever litigious nutb@g called it in), if the cops get a call alleging a real cr!me against the person (@ssault, b@ttery, r@pe, r0bbery, @ttempted m*rder) and a call about an "illegal" at the same time, they're going to respond to the "illegal alien" call first. Otherwise they risk getting sued at a cost of $1k to $5k PER DAY plus court costs, all of which the taxpayer pays.

[spytheweb]

03:10 PM on 05/29/2010

Taking people who break the law takes that time any way. If you're busted for selling drugs on a street corner, cops are taking you in anyway.

[ObamAtomic]

01:03 AM on 05/27/2010

A Court Challenge to Arizona's Immigration Law

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/05/a-court-challenge-to-arizonas-immigration-law/56840/

http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/az_sb1070_complaint_20100517.pdf

[spytheweb]

03:15 PM on 05/29/2010

Turn them into ICE! America wants illegals out!

"596 criminal aliens arrested in targeted ICE operation throughout the southeastern U.S.
Operation Cross Check yields the largest-ever number of arrests

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its law enforcement partners arrested 596 foreign nationals with criminal records during a three-day enforcement surge throughout the southeastern United States, making it the biggest operation targeting at-large criminal aliens ever carried out by ICE in the region.

During the operation, which concluded late last night, ICE officers and agents worked in teams with the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local law enforcement agencies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton cited the operation – which involved nearly 400 federal and local law enforcement officers and agents – as another example of ICE's focus on indentifying and removing criminal aliens from the United States."

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1004/100430washingtondc.htm

[Dbos]

04:04 PM on 05/29/2010

yep more illegals found and deported under this pres than any other recent pres.

[treeshack]

09:14 PM on 05/26/2010

Holder is dragging his feet while he researches the constitutionality of the law. The fact that it's taking so long doesn't bode too well for a successful challenge of SB1070. His advisers and constitutional experts are probably burning the midnight oil trying to find a way to attack it, but have come up empty. SB1070 was written specifically to withstand court challenges.

[Garspies]

09:34 PM on 05/26/2010

Rubbish, rubbish, & rubbish, You hit the trifecta there tr00l.

[treeshack]

10:32 PM on 05/26/2010

And you know this because...?

Sounds like you're hoping for some kind of miracle when all you'll end up with is bitter disappointment.

[chonus]

02:15 PM on 05/27/2010

Yes, yes, & Yes!

Nailed it.

[JohnnyBlack]

02:27 AM on 05/27/2010

Really? You mean Holder is actually going to read the law? I figured he just took the word of noted Constitutional Law expert Eva Longoria.

[UnaBohemia]

08:13 PM on 05/26/2010

Three weeks ago, the Justice Department's civil rights division head told some Arizona leaders that DOJ staff is analyzing the potential effects of the new state law.

So, how long does it take to analyze a bad idea?

[guendy]

08:43 PM on 05/26/2010

Huh?

[guendy]

08:45 PM on 05/26/2010

That huh looks funny. what I mean is, yeah, how freaking long does it take? They're just waiting to see what popular opinion points to.

[UnaBohemia]

08:51 PM on 05/26/2010

Thank you- I was ready to explain what I meant.

But you are right, they are just waiting to see how millions will be deported. Then, they have to figure out how much wages for gardeners, maids, and babysitters will increase.

And then, how long it will take to realize that no one wants those jobs as a career.

[phlegminglib]

05:34 PM on 05/26/2010

Seriously, for a split second I thought he was Tom Selleck.

[chonus]

02:21 PM on 05/27/2010

lol. Me too.

[EducatedWoman]

05:31 PM on 05/26/2010

Lotus is partly right, partly wrong. Minorities do distrust police but they still report crime.

Beck and the AZ chiefs who object to the new law are right that the fragile trust that now exists is likely to be lost. HP had a cautionary story yesterday of an Hispanic citizen arrested and bailed out but nevertheless detained by ICE over the weekend because they couldn't verify that his driver's license and Puerto Rican birth certificate were genuine. That kind of racial profiling and subsequent mess-up is only going to replicate thousands of times once the AZ law goes into effect.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/25/deportation-nightmare-edu_n_588788.html

[dtairtime]

05:27 PM on 05/26/2010

One might wonder just a little if Beck's focus is on keeping his job, not enforcing the law or doing what is best for the country and his city. After all his bosses seem to want to turn the AZ law into a negative thing (which "might" just have something to do with the 70% hispanic community in LA) and he wants to keep on their good side.

Man I hate politicians like him. They will do anything and say anything if they think it will benefit themselves. I wonder how he'd feel about his cities sanctuary policies if someone he cared about was harmed by an illegal out on bail?

[lotus321]

04:30 PM on 05/26/2010

This guy is full of it. Citizens don't cooperate with the cops now. They either don;t trust them or fear their neighborhoods more. I love how they are assuming things about a law that has not been enacted. LAPD profiles young black men everyday based on their clothing alone sometimes...please spare me the pandering to the group with the most people because you are scared to do your job.

[EndRacismNow]

05:34 PM on 05/26/2010

Or how about driving while white in a predominately black neighborhood? Police racially profile them because they are white kids looking for drugs and they don't belong there.

[lotus321]

05:59 PM on 05/26/2010

So true. Yet they pretend they don't profile on reasonable suspicion that you are in the wrong place based on the skin of your color.

[guendy]

08:44 PM on 05/26/2010

Profiling anywhere anytime is not nice.