That’s what the Westchester County, N.Y. town has pledged as part of the settlement of a lawsuit charging that cops were overly aggressive in policing an area where Hispanic day laborers hung out to solicit work. Because it’s not as if local police have any business concerning themselves with whether anyone’s violating federal law, right? Or something like that. You can see why David Frum (Jun. 15) might get riled up (Jim Fitzgerald, “Hispanic day laborers, NY village reach tentative agreement over discrimination lawsuit”, AP/Canton Repository, Jun. 11).
Mamaroneck: our cops won’t ask about legal status
That’s what the Westchester County, N.Y. town has pledged as part of the settlement of a lawsuit charging that cops were overly aggressive in policing an area where Hispanic day laborers hung out to solicit work. Because it’s not as if local police have any business concerning themselves with whether anyone’s violating federal law, right? […]
4 Comments
Isn’t the point whether they’re breaking the law, not their race? And if violators of the law are overwhelmingly from a given group, isn’t that THEIR fault, not the police’s? Otherwise, couldn’t one could set up a prosecution-proof criminal enterprise simply by having all participants be members of a single racial/ethnic group? Wouldn’t that be complete insanity?
Oh, I’m just being silly.
The Mafia, Crips and Blooods are already criminal enterprises organized by ethnic group. But leave it to a bunch of crazy special interest group lawyers to find a way of negating the justice system.
Just like how when I go to the airport, they search the 85 year old grandmother instead of the young Arab male with the platform shoes and the “Osama is da bomb” t-shirt.
What’s particularly insidious about this is that the 6 day laborers did not give their real names, for fear of disclosing their immigration status. Someone please explain to me under what circumstances this is legal. If it is, why doesn’t everyone use an alias when filing a complaint, in order to shield themselves from any perjury or contempt charges that might come up?
Also, apparently the entire amount the $550K is going to the attorneys, none to the laborers.
Finally, one more development that will probably be of interest here: Tancredo’s ammendment withholding emergency funds from any “Sanctuary city” (cities like this one that don’t ask about immigration status) suprisingly passed the House overwhelmingly. That might either invalidate the judge’s order or at least put the town in legal bind:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5587755,00.html
Also a longer rundown on this case is here:
http://shieldofachilles.blogspot.com/2007/06/illegal-immigrants-vs-mamaroneck-new.html