Curtatone to limit detention of immigrants by Somerville police

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Our city is getting some attention in the news today. Mayor Curtatone is set to place limits on detention by the Somerville police of immigrants who are here illegally. You can read a brief write-up on Curtatone's executive action here. Basically:

Somerville’s mayor says he will sign an executive order that bars city police from detaining people simply because they are suspected of living in the U.S. illegally.

I don't expect this to be very controversial among the residents of Somerville, but the local right wing media's reaction has been predictably amusing (or maybe just sad, depending on your outlook). I won't force this noise on you, so look below the cut.



Example:

But Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, who has championed Secure Communities — the federal crackdown on illegals — said Curtatone’s new policy will drive up crime in Somerville, saying it “takes the handcuffs off the criminals and puts them on law enforcement” in a dangerous, post-Sept. 11 world.

“If I were illegal and looking for a place to go, guess where I’m going — Somerville,” Hodgson said. “Even if I commit a minor crime, they’re not going to let ICE know, so it’s worth it for me to steal from a store if that’s what I’m inclined to do. When we start ignoring the laws of our country and putting blindfolds on law enforcement ... it creates a sanctuary area people will be drawn to.”

Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies called the Somerville policy “foolish and reckless” and predicted a new wave of horrible crimes, like the dragging-death of 23-year-old Matthew Denice, hit and killed by drunken-driving illegal immigrant Nicolas Dutan Guaman, who was convicted and sentenced to 12 to 14 years in prison this week.

“If Somerville goes through with this, it’s inviting this kind of behavior and this kind of result,” Vaughan said.

So watch out for the incoming "crime wave." Here's even an more... "interesting" perspective.

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Rock on, Mayor Joe.