Deportation just got harder

In a move by Homeland Security yesterday, teeth have been removed from the 287g program. And not one member of Congress had to take a vote on it.

Link here: http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1247246453625.shtm

Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, just established new rules for law enforcement agencies who want to become 287g partners.

Typical of this administration, they tell us they are doing one thing and yet mean just the opposite. Napolitano says in her press release the change was made to improve “public safety by removing criminal aliens who are a threat to local communities…” and “This new agreement supports local efforts to protect public safety by giving law enforcement the tools to identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens.”

That’s what she said, but the change forbids deportation proceedings for “minor crimes.” Translation: You have to be REALLY BAD before you get deported.

Exactly how does that improve public safety?

So, why is this important? Well, let me give you an example. There was a case in the local papers the other day about a fellow who was arrested for dealing drugs.
Man charged with trying to sell coke to Elgin cop
By Harry Hitzeman Daily Herald Staff
Published: 7/8/2009 10:40 AM

A 25-year-old Elgin man faces prison time after being accused of planning to sell cocaine to an undercover officer.

Bond for Julio G. Zarate of the 500 block of Cleveland Avenue was set at 10 percent of $250,000 this morning.

He faces several charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. That is a Class X felony that carries a prison of six to 30 years. Probation is not an option.

What the article doesn’t tell you is that this SAME MAN was arrested by Elgin Police in February for a Drivers License violation and identified then as an illegal alien.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that IF he had been deported in February as the law requires, he would not have been selling drugs on the streets of Elgin. How many people bought from him in the last five months? How many new customers did he introduce to cocaine?

You might say that he would have just snuck back into the country if deported. Maybe. But do you think he would have come back to Elgin?

Then you get out the calculator and determine what this added arrest costs Elgin, Kane County, and the state. You've got the arrest, the trial (most likely we'll be paying to both prosecute and defend him), and the incarceration for the next six to 30 years.

Washington doesn't care about it because all these costs are local.

It seems clear to me that this administration has no intention of getting tough on illegal aliens. Six years in office Bush finally realized the need for enforcement before amnesty. Obama seems doomed to repeat the mistake.