Quantcast

Immigration Director Critical Of County Detainee Policy

2011_12_5_preckwinkle.jpg
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. (Image via Preckwinkle's Facebook page.)

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton criticized Cook County’s illegal immigration policy in a letter to County Board President Tony Preckwinkle, the Sun-Times reports. The letter, dated Jan. 4, says Cook County’s policy of ignoring immigration detainers “undermines public safety in Cook County” and “may also violate federal law.”

In September, county commissioners passed an ordinance which describes "detainers" as requests to hold suspects up to 48 hours for possible deportation proceedings, rather than as arrest warrants. Critics of the ordinance have pointed to the case of Saul Chavez, who was charged in a hit and run crash which killed a 66-year-old man last summer. Chavez was released on $25,000 bond and disappeared shortly after.

The family of the deceased says that Chavez would still be in custody if the County hadn’t changed its policy. Preckwinkle disagrees and said while she is outraged over the case and that her heart goes out to the family, it was the low bond that allowed Chavez to abscond. The Board President stands by the County’s decision, highlighting the use of such detainers as fear mongering.

Preckwinkle said, “I’m angry because people are trying to use this complicated issue to divide our communities. This type of fear-mongering is distasteful, and it has no place in the public policy arena.”

Contact the author of this article or email tips@chicagoist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

  • Dave Francis

    If the United States is expected
    to sustaining its living standards, we must start to conserve our environment
    and address the use of oil, water and energy. In these current decades we have
    all observed the deterioration of our highways, infrastructure with clogged
    traffic lanes that never seem to abate? The continuous requisition for land to
    build homes, and stretching, concrete pavement that once was farmland. Border
    states where water supplies are being rationed, because of years of drought.
    The desperate need for refineries, because of constant production, cannot keep
    up with demand. Our antiquated national electrical grid that is unable to keep
    up with requirements, owing to the millions of illegal people who slip across
    our uneasy border and needing services must be modernized. America, just
    outside in suburban regions are growing smaller each day, just like the Amazon
    rain forests. We are daily encroaching on the wild creatures of our lands, who
    we now find foraging for food in community suburbs--that was once a wilderness.
    Our President should not be contemplating Amnesty for an unknown number of
    illegal immigrants or like other administrations keep welcoming over a million
    legal immigrants annually. Such is the forthcoming harbinger of Overpopulation
    for future generations. According to the Census Bureau with the current
    immigration level our population will touch close to a half a billion by 2050.

     

     

    More than 65
    percent of that growth can be attributed to our current immigration rate and
    irrational polices. Without changing the direction of our current immigration
    policies, our population by the year 2100 and 2120 will attain the one billion
    mark. Is this what we want for our own grandchildren? Then Canadian immigration
    for years have welcomed without prejudice millions of Asylum seekers, but that
    is about to change? With Obama in charge altering the direction of our
    immigration laws by decree, we could become the next target for these people. A
    large majority of these immigrants come from countries, where there are no real
    functioning police records, so this country could easily become their
    destination for ineligible immigrant’s future years. Obama has switched dramatically
    to halt the ICE effort of mass deportation and unless you have some serious
    criminal charges against them, there is likelihood; they could be allowed to
    walk.

     

    If the Obama
    presidency is recycled this country could be heading for trouble with lax
    incompetence of easy access of foreign nationals into through the border and by
    overstay visitors by aircraft. With no means of tracking aliens as other
    Industrial nations have accomplished and where even Mexico can track these
    illegal alien fugitives. But then unlike the Mexican authorities, entering
    illegally into our sovereign nation our government doesn’t prosecute as a
    FELONY. As I have said many times before, I believe this was an intended
    action, so millions of illegal aliens remained unafraid if confronting no real
    criminal measure if they could bypass the border agents.  Both sides of Congress have had the perfect
    opportunity to trick the General audience that they were enforcing immigration
    laws, but really just playing lip service to this massive predicament?

     

    If President
    Obama introduces a new Immigration policy, this would be a disaster for the new
    generations of our children? We already settle over 1.5 million new legal
    immigrants each year in this nation. This is more people than any other country
    in the world? What we need is an amendment to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control
    Act (IRCA). This would allow specialized people, with highly skilled abilities
    in Engineering, Computer and Science technologies to enter the US workforce,
    contributing to this countries success in the global marketplace?

     

    We already
    have millions of low skilled, many uneducated American workers who remain
    jobless in this economic morass. Lama Smiths E-Verify “the Legal
    Workforce Act."  At the very least, it is a surefire step in the
    right direction to obstruct illegal labor from taking American jobs.  Even though E-Verify has some flaws and some
    illegal aliens can obtain employment, it won't last very long before new
    upgraded version of E-Verify will be able to detect criminal alien workers. ICE
    has already gained the implementation of Mississippi’s Drivers Licensing
    Bureau, so as citizens WE SHOULD DEMAND
    THAT EVERY STATE VEHICLE DEPARTMENT GIVE ICE THE DIRECTIVE TO ACCESS THEIR
    PHOTO ID DATABASES, TO CROSS REFERENCE WITH ALL HIRED WORKERS BEING CONFIRMED
    USING E-VERIFY.

     

     Those hired illegally
    will be caught eventually when irregularities are corrected as ICE auditors
    return to a previous company. It's better to have something as a
    deterrent, than to have nothing at all.   As illegal immigrants start their movement from our
    nation, wages, benefits should slowly start to rise, as employers will have no
    choice but to hire American workers, instead of cheap labor from foreign lands.
    Steve King’s (R-IA) Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 (H.R.140) would amend
    the law so the unborn babies of illegal aliens smuggled calculatedly through
    borders or by international flight are ineligible for citizenship.  The cost to hospitals and an array of welfare
    payments and entitlements is the most costly for US taxpayers totaling billions
    of more dollars. This is another demand, you should make of the politicians who
    represent your state. 

     

    Join the TEA PARTY
    and fight back, before there is no way back? The TEA PARTY does not discriminate
    any nationality, if you arrived in this nation by—LEGAL MEANS? We
    can all stand with our fellow jobless countryman by Calling House and
    Senate Leadership NOW at 202-224-3121, which is the Capitol Switchboard.

    Those entire Pro-Illegal alien, anti-American
    Governors, Mayors and state officials should be thrown out of office, when
    their reelection is imminent?

     

    Be very aware that illegal aliens do vote and will in gubernatorial, county and
    municipal races. This has been proved beyond doubt, as ACORN and other
    fraudulent canvassing groups will be looking for signatures. These entities
    were prosecuted in eleven states and although they were dismantled, they
    have risen to the surface under an assumed name in other states.  One thing’s for sure that without unbiased
    referees overlooking current and future elections, there will be forged
    absentee ballots and even irregularities within the confines of the voting
    precincts. Also I have investigated the major instigators, that are
    in summary been the Liberals and Democrats. Department of Justice Eric
    Holder, one of Obama’s Leftist hard core Czars, not only dropped the ‘Black
    Panther” intimidation of voters in Pennsylvania—but has been harassing
    sovereign states and using the judiciary undermine policing policies. This originating
    with Arizona that was suffering terribly from unfunded mandates, forced upon
    them by the courts? Public assistance programs to support illegal aliens with
    welfare payments, food stamps and federal low income housing.

     

     Currently
    in New York supervisors with the party affiliation have intentionally assisted
    in passing non-citizens as verified voters and are being prosecuted.
    Although voter fraud has been around for generations, all aspects of it have
    been ignored by the federal government as limited. However, large numbers of
    none citizens can have negative repercussions in close races.  This will
    be adamantly opposed by the usual suspects, namely the open border zealots.
    These radical groups as La Raza, can take advantage and overturn honest
    elections The Tea Party leadership and members should be vigilant of irregular
    voting tactics as illegal aliens are a very large majority in Arizona and will
    commit perjury to claim a Democratic successful win.

  • Dave Francis

    ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is unfunded mandates forced on taxpayers by the
    courts, to subsidize illegal aliens with $113 billion dollars annually and
    rising--even though they violated US Sovereignty. The Illegal invaders have
    voted and will again to undermine our elections. Those entire Pro-Illegal alien,
    anti-American Governors, Mayors and state officials should be thrown out of
    office, when their reelection is imminent? Learn--what you deserve to know at
    NumbersUSA and Judicial Watch. ONLY THE U.S. TEA PARTY can save us from
    corruption in the Senate and House of Representatives.

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@chicagoist.com