Protecting illegal aliens

Responding to the public outcry, the Bush administration beginning in 2006 authorized state and local police agencies to help enforce federal immigration laws in limited circumstances.

Local agencies were offered federal funds and special training to help local officers identify illegal aliens who commit major drug or violent crimes. Clark County has participated. For the most part, the criminals are identified -- and federal officers notified of their presence -- after they're in jail on more serious beefs.

Between 2006 and 2008, state and local agencies received $60 million under the program, receiving credit for identifying 120,000 suspected illegal immigrants, at least some of whom were, presumably, deported.

Those who favor illegal immigration were against the program from the start, of course, and dislike it even more now that it's done some small good. So they now allege some police officers have engaged in racial profiling, using their authority to conduct indiscriminate traffic stops or neighborhood sweeps aimed at Hispanics and other ethnic groups.

In May, Congress's audit arm faulted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a DHS agency, for improperly supervising the enforcement program. It cited cases in which police arrested illegal immigrants for minor infractions such as speeding, carrying an open container of alcohol or urinating in public.

Note the report does not say, "arrested and falsely charged U.S. citizens or legal residents with being illegal aliens." The report says says police "arrested illegal immigrants."

Oh, the humanity!

The congressional auditors did not make clear whether local police are now supposed to ignore speeding, drinking while driving, and public urination, providing they suspect the culprits may belong to the newly protected class of illegal aliens. The auditors also did not make clear whether ICE deported the illegal aliens who were arrested on those charges, nor whether -- if they did not -- federal agents were censured for failing to do so.

But the drunken speeders driving on fake documents and the public urinators won't have to worry much longer, it appears. The Obama administration now proposes to make this local program just as toothless as the original, laughable federal enforcement effort it was designed to supplement.

The purpose of the reorganized program is now to catch "criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety or danger to the community," ICE said. The changes now set priorities for the identification of illegal immigrants who are convicted of or arrested for, respectively, major drug or violent crimes; then, those involving minor drug or property crimes; and, finally those linked with other crimes.

Since that was pretty much the goal of the original program, is anyone else confused?

What's really going on here?

Down in the fine print, The Washington Post reveals that the new rules, announced by Homeland Security Czar Janet Napolitano this week, require participating local police agencies to commit agents to perform immigration duties for at least two full years, that those agents undergo new federal background checks, and that they must pursue all charges filed against illegal immigrants to their completion.

ICE can drop non-performing agencies after 90 days.

These are poison pills, designed to reduce the program's effectiveness by reducing local flexibility, making participation more onerous and expensive.

Local cops hanging out for days in the federal courthouse, waiting for the courts to get through the interminable process of deporting an illegal alien? And then what? A three-day day leave of absence to actually drive the culprit to the border? And all this time taken away from local law enforcement?

"This is another example of the administration making it harder to find and deport illegal immigrants," explains Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. "I am concerned that this is an effort to intimidate law enforcement officials. It is counterproductive to bully them now with this kind of ultimatum."

Time will tell. But candidate Obama did promise new job opportunities. Someone might want to get busy stamping out those new "Bienvenida a Aztlan" signs.