New directive on immigrants ‘no problem,’ police say

Order issued by New Jersey attorney general.

By: Linda Seida
   A new order to notify federal immigration officials when illegal aliens are charged with an indictable offense won’t change the way local law enforcement agencies do business. They say they were doing that long before the order was handed down, when the decision whether to report was left to their discretion.
   "We would have no problem with that," Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza said of the order issued Aug. 22 by state Attorney General Anne Milgram. "We called them anyway."
   The directive also tells local police departments they must notify immigration officials when illegal immigrants are caught driving drunk. That’s something the Lambertville Police Department didn’t normally do before, but will now, Mr. Cocuzza said. Other local law enforcement officials say when they did report illegal aliens who had committed crimes, their calls to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement fell on deaf ears.
   ICE, however, says it has a good working relationship with New Jersey law enforcement agencies, and its agents are "very consistent" in their response, according to a spokesman.
   The attorney general issued the order last month as a result of the execution-style slaying of three college students in Newark on Aug. 4, when a fourth student also was seriously wounded. One of the prime suspects, a 28-year-old from Peru, entered the United States illegally and was free on bail on charges of aggravated assault and sexual assault of a child.
   "Is this Monday morning quarterbacking? Possibly, but it can’t hurt," Mr. Cocuzza said.
   Across the Delaware River, police departments in Pennsylvania are not subject to the order.
   In New Hope, police often deal with problems similar to those in Lambertville.
   "This was a tragedy that happened in Newark," New Hope Police Chief Rick Pasqualini said, but "as is so often the case, they want to unring the bell."
   Chief Pasqualini said most of the immigrants he encounters are not the type to cause trouble.
   "We have what I believe to be many illegals in the area, and many are employed," he said. "Most of them are law-abiding citizens and they want to stay under the radar."
   In Lambertville, police have seen a "relatively steady influx" of illegal immigrants, and they are primarily Hispanic, according to Mr. Cocuzza. "It’s an issue," he said.
   But it is only "on occasion" when an illegal immigrant in the city is involved in a serious crime, and the same for driving drunk, Mr. Cocuzza said.
   In New Hope, Chief Pasqualini said he has contacted ICE several times in recent years concerning suspects involved in serious crimes, such as the stabbing on a basketball court several years ago. The problem in these types of cases, he said, is that when convicted criminals are deported, "many times they come right back."
   In the case of lesser crimes or traffic violations, he said, "If we stop someone and they can’t prove they’re an American citizen, we don’t take any action against them. We’re not policing the immigration laws."
   North of New Hope in bucolic Solebury Township, recent crimes include theft of lawn ornaments and cartons of cigarettes, but there have been no issues yet with major crimes committed by illegal aliens.
   On the other hand, the township’s new chief, Dominick Bellizzie, said he has had plenty of contact with illegals during his 33 years in law enforcement, first in Philadelphia’s Narcotics Intelligence-Investigative Unit and later as chief in Coatesville, where 108 violent crimes occurred in 2004.
   Chief Bellizzie had cause to call immigration officials numerous times during his career. But reaching out to federal officials wasn’t a successful endeavor, according to the chief. He said, "I’ve never had any luck at all, any time I’ve contacted them. They never came out."
   Like Solebury in Pennsylvania, West Amwell Township in New Jersey has few issues with the immigrant population, according to West Amwell Police Lt. Stephen Bartzak.
   "We don’t encounter a lot of illegals," he said. "We certainly will comply with the attorney general’s policy if need be, but it’s not something that we encounter on a weekly basis."
   When the township’s officers do encounter illegal immigrants, it usually isn’t for serious crimes but more for disorderly conduct or traffic violations, Lt. Bartzak said. Sometimes, police called immigration officials.
   "On the few occasions we contacted immigration, they were not interested," Lt. Bartzak said.
   ICE spokesman Michael Gilhooly said the federal agency would need more specific information before he could respond to police claims that immigration authorities failed to respond.
   Mr. Gilhooly said immigration officials are "very consistent with our response."
   This year alone, the agency responded to 9,400 inquiries from New Jersey alone, according to Mr. Gilhooly. "We interact frequently and cooperate frequently with law enforcement in New Jersey," he said.
   In the United States, electronic contact via a special telecommunications system between law enforcement agencies and ICE increased by 2,000 percent during the federal fiscal year that will end Sept. 30, Mr. Gilhooly said.
   Now, with the attorney general’s new directive, ICE has "taken internal steps to have significant coordination with local offices and the support center, and work closely with the attorney general’s office," he said. "We see it all as very positive. We have to give this a few weeks, a month or so to see how this is running."