From the Washington Post via Sam Zamarripa’s GALEO stooge, Jerry Gonzalez

We are very proud to be so succesful in getting 287 (g) into Georgia counties, with more coming. The reason these crazies hate us and 287 (g) so much is that enforcement works at getting illegal aiens out of American communities. See HERE

and HERE dak

Time for Napolitano to shutter 287(g)
Found in www.azcentral.com
Written by Alfredo Gutierrez
Posted on 2009-08-08

Time for Napolitano to shutter 287(g)

Aug. 8, 2009 12:00 AM
Alfredo Gutierrez Special for the Republic

A little over a month ago, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis was in Phoenix with the Rev. Al Sharpton, assuring those victimized by racial profiling that ACORN, the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people, will stand with them every step of the way pushing for comprehensive immigration reform
.

We, along with ACORN and other community organizations, are fighting for changes that promote family unity, the public good and an end to the current police-state approach to patrolling communities of color.

Under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Federal Government can authorize certain local law enforcement agencies to enforce Federal immigration laws. The 287(g) program makes it easier for local police officials to scapegoat the poor under the shadow of legality. The most extreme abuses are in our own backyard under Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Sheriff Arpaio has exploited the program by using it to further his own political agenda, conducting so called “crime sweeps” exclusively in communities of color. Using precious law-enforcement resources, these dragnets result in arrests of few, if any, dangerous offenders. Instead, people of color are harassed on suspicion of minor infractions.

The most serious infractions in these raids are attributable to Sheriff Arpaio, who is violating the constitutionally guaranteed rights we all have to due process, equal protection under the law and security against unreasonable searches and seizures.

We are deeply concerned about the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to extend 287(g). We had hoped that the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, would terminate the archaic policies that plagued immigration reform for so long. Instead, she has implemented inconsequential and deceptive policy changes like decreasing raids in the workplace to satisfy the public while still quietly expanding the unconstitutional 287(g) program.

By covering up plainly abusive immigration policies, Napolitano has helped to create a permanent underclass running from the law. We must push back on local immigration enforcement and urge her to show greater concern about the civil-rights violations that are continuing to grow and fester under the expansion of 287(g).

In darker times throughout our history, America has allowed for laws that discriminate against people of color, give police officials the unbridled right to rifle through citizens’ homes and criminalize entire immigrant communities. In that context, it is sadly not surprising that the 287(g) program targets racial minorities. It is time to say “No!” to the expansion of local immigration enforcement.

Each year hundreds of thousands of immigrants are being detained, deported and forced to take life-threatening risks because there is no reasonable path to achieving legal residency in the U.S. People are dying in the desert and in detention due to awful conditions and official neglect. We can and must do better.

We need to create an immigration system that upholds our shared values and promotes unity rather than racism and hatred of immigrant communities. We must integrate immigrant populations into American life rather than stigmatize these people.

By creating a rigorous registration process that will lead to lawful permanent resident status and a pathway to citizenship, we can avoid tearing families and friends apart. Putting off such reforms is unacceptable, which is why we, along with ACORN, will continue pressuring Napolitano to end abusive and counterproductive programs like 287(g). It is time for change.

Alfredo Gutierrez is a former Arizona state senator and hosts a daily talk show on Arizona’s Radio Campesina Network. He is president of Tequida & Gutierrez, a Spanish-language image, issues and advocacy firm in Phoenix. Salvador Rezas has spent years organizing day laborers and small-business owners. HERE for original GALEO post.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2009/08/07/20090807gutierrez08.html