FL Police: 'We're Not ICE Agents'
(Posted May 09, 2011 06:35 am)
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - Who is going to enforce an 'Arizona Copycat' law in
Florida to question and detain undocumented immigrants?
That's the question the
Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is asking
state lawmakers.
FOP political director Lisa Henning, who speaks for
thousands of police officers around the state, says
recent cuts in state appropriations mean there is not
enough money or manpower to collar people suspected of
being in the country illegally.
"I don't think government should be able to pass off to
the state and to the counties the expense of trying to
force them to be ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement) agents."
Lawmakers who support the Arizona-style law claim that
those they consider "illegal aliens" need to be rounded
up. Florida local police officers claim if such a law
goes into effect, they will be hard pressed to enforce
it without considerable budget increases across the
board.
A study by the Florida Immigrant Coalition says Florida
also stands to lose $45 billion in tourism and small
business trade if such a law goes into effect.
Henning feels the Legislature is passing the "budget-cut
buck" to local governments. She's not happy with the way
state lawmakers have played the blame game.
"Saying the way this Legislature has approached law
enforcement and the issue of their budget crisis by
blaming it on law enforcement officers, is a joke."
Local police and Latino merchants in greater Miami have
told the Florida Immigrant Coalition that people are
afraid and that if Florida becomes "Arizona East" even
law-abiding Latino residents would fear cooperating with
police to keep crime in check.