B1-Current+Event

Notes Links Tolerance Essay Biography Current Event

****Costa Mesa Police and Illegal Immigration****
=== Costa Mesa mayor wants city's police to be trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to apply federal rules. In a vote by the city council late Tuesday night Costa Mesa became the first city in America to enact a controversial program that would train Costa Mesa police officers to enforce federal immigration law. The mayor said the police wouldn't be looking for them, but if they get pulled over, lets say if they run a red light, they can do a backround check and turn them into the immigration officialls. Costa Mesa Police will go through 3 1/2 weeks of training and after their training they can question people about their immigration status when they are suspected with other crimes. If they are determined to be in the country illegely they can take them to the Costa Mesa Police Station and turn them into the immigration officials. Two people that were at the council meeting said "To pass a law such as this would create negative energy and negative tension and endanger the shaky bond between Latinos and the police force," Kristin Hoeffler, 20, of Costa Mesa, said before the discussion began. "There are illegal immigrants and children of illegal immigrants, and what will happen to those children if their parents are sent away?"I feel like (the council) never looks at what Latinos add to the community. They only look at the negative," said Mike Burns, 20, of Costa Mesa. I honestly don't think this is a good idea to do. I thought America is a free country. By doing this Costa Mesa Police will encourage people to be less tolerant, and even we might start a big war. We are in no condition at all to be doing these kind of things. America is supose to be a free country, not a racist country. We are supose to treat all people with respect, just because they come from a diffrent county doesn't mean they are any diffrent than us. ===