Illegal immigrants will no longer be detained for traffic violations

Illegal immigrants will no longer be detained for traffic violations (Alberta Times) Immigration officials said on April 27 that they will no longer immediately make seizures for minor traffic violations such as speeding...

(Alberta Times)

Immigration officials said on April 27 that they would no longer immediately detain illegal immigrant suspects who were arrested for minor traffic violations, such as speeding, driving without a taillight, or driving without a license, and who had no criminal record, but drunk driving was not included. Barbara Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Internal Security, said agency agents are now only considering detaining suspected illegal immigrants who have been convicted of traffic violations. After an ICE task force reviewed the Community Safety Plan, it made recommendations for the plan, including not deporting illegal immigrants who committed traffic violations. ICE made this change in response to these recommendations. The "Community Safety Plan" requires local law enforcement officers to check ICE's fingerprint database after arresting people if the arrested person is suspected of being an illegal immigrant. If the arrested person is found to be an illegal immigrant, ICE can prepare a detention order before the arrested person pleads guilty or is convicted. Once the person is convicted, he will be transferred to ICE for deportation procedures after serving his sentence. ICE’s new rule requires ICE to consider issuing a seizure warrant only after the arrestee has been convicted. But the reality is that most traffic violators are released before being convicted, and immigrants stopped by traffic police will no longer be in police custody, waiting for federal agents to arrest them. ICE officials said the detention order is only valid if the immigrant remains in police custody. Immigration rights advocates say the ICE task force's recommendation is not to deport illegal immigrants for traffic violations, but the bureau's changes are too insignificant to overhaul the Community Safety Program, which has led to racial profiling and left many people with no criminal records facing deportation; and issuance of detention orders after convictions will further trouble local police, and ICE should not deport traffic violators at all. Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, criticized the government's move as weakening the "community safety plan."