In response to Freehold Borough Mayor Michael Wilson’s recent letter to the editor regarding the federal 287g program and Attorney General Anne Milgram’s directive to New Jersey law enforcement agencies (“Governments Must Build on Attorney General’s Directive,” News Transcript, Sept. 12, 2007), I offer that his proposal would not meet its objectives for a number of reasons.
The 287g program would bring to Freehold and Monmouth County operational and compliance expenses that would only add to the financial burdens of the borough and county. The total cost is around $5,000 per officer. When you consider the cost, along with compliance requirements, it doesn’t make any sense to invest in a program that would cost the municipality and the county more than it costs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
If the application for 287g were approved it would drive the immigrant population further underground, resulting in even more mistrust of police officers. Criminal offenses, suffered or witnessed, would go unreported and a valuable source of information would be squandered.
The 287g program provides no additional authority to county and local law enforcement beyond what was outlined by Ms. Milgram in her recent directive. Local, county and state law enforcement, as a matter of general practice, could not use 287g to go beyond Ms. Milgram’s directive.
Given those facts, the only real impact of applying 287g on a county or local level would be to spread fear throughout the hard-working immigrant communities of Monmouth County. This would serve no one and certainly not the residents of Freehold Borough.
Mayor Wilson’s reach for the attorney general’s recent directive as another tool for enforcing immigration laws reveals a poor understanding of the directive’s intent. Having met with Ms. Milgram at our most recent Latino Leadership Alliance meeting, it was very clear that her intent was not to circumvent prevailing federal immigration enforcement guidelines.
In fact, the intent was exactly the opposite. To emphasize this point, the directive contains a bolded section specifically detailing the limitations of those municipalities wishing to participate in the 287g program.
The mayor’s statement that the attorney general’s directive is a “start” to addressing the problems of education funding, immigration reform, overcrowded housing and predatory absentee landlords is clear evidence that he really doesn’t understand it’s premise, and probably has not read the document.
But just like the 287g program, the directive has provided an opportunity to anti-immigrant xenophobes to further discriminate against Latinos.
The Newark murders cited by Mayor Wilson were gang related and coincidentally included one undocumented man among six, who slipped through our judicial system. Gang violence has been an American reality throughout its history. But to take one incident and tie it completely to immigration is abhorrent.
In an article in The Star-Ledger dated Oct. 6, 2002, the paper stated the following, “In recent years, New Jersey has become home to a growing number of so-called ‘supergangs,’ groups with a presence in many states across the nation. It is these gangs – increasingly organized and quicker to kill – that have undergone the greatest expansion and alarm police the most.” Gun violence in Newark has increased dramatically in recent years and murders have risen more than 50 percent since 2002. Gang violence is a problem that affects all of us constantly, and not just when an undocumented immigrant is a suspect.
The conundrum I see in Freehold is a mayor who is struggling between his desire to do what’s right in his heart and the political pressure being applied by a small xenophobic minority that is calling for the expulsion of people from Freehold who they think “may” be immigrants. Unfortunately, some of these racist individuals are in positions of power having been elected to either the council or Board of Education, and pose a real danger to the Freehold community.
The best solution to the real or perceived problems in Freehold is for Mayor Wilson to continue his demonstrated willingness to reach out to the community, in an effort to establish the cultural harmony it deserves.
In a solicitation letter to Gov. Corzine, Mayor Wilson praised his immigrant constituency and expressed his desire to serve on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Immigration. Mayor Wilson stated that “the influx of immigrants has enriched our town’s culture with a group of individuals who have a profound work ethic, strong family and religious values, and have even added new, vibrant businesses to our downtown.”
These are great words to hear and they provide hope that the storms of fear and bigotry will not linger over Freehold. I truly hope that Mayor Wilson reconsiders his 287g proposal and continues to work directly with his community and its agencies toward progress and prosperity for Freehold Borough.
Angel L. Matos Latino Leadership Alliance
of New Jersey
Keyport

