INS and Police Cooperation

In response to “City Forces Shouldn’t Aid INS Detentions,” by Gloria Romero, Column Left, Aug. 5:

Romero called on Pomona city leaders to pass an ordinance barring its police officers from cooperating with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The INS strongly believes this measure, if approved, would not only run counter to the public interest, but would, in fact, be in direct conflict with existing state and federal laws as well.

First, the public needs to understand the role of the Border Patrol and the INS in the community. Contrary to assertions made by proponents of this measure, the INS does not routinely seek active local police participation in its operations. As a matter of courtesy the INS always notifies local authorities when carrying out an operation in their jurisdiction.

While local law enforcement agencies do not usually work side by side with the Border Patrol, cooperation and communication between the agencies are crucial. City and county authorities play a critical role in helping the INS to identify criminal illegal aliens. Without the assistance of local law-enforcement officials, more criminal illegal aliens in cities like Pomona will go undetected, posing a threat to the entire community.

Anyone who doubts the severity of the criminal alien problem should consider this sobering statistic--last year the INS removed nearly 10,000 criminal aliens from the United States. The aliens involved had been convicted of crimes ranging from murder to drug trafficking.

Identifying and removing criminal aliens from the United States is one of the INS’s top priorities. If the agency is going to succeed at this task, we need more cooperation between local and federal authorities, not an ordinance that will serve to divide us further. If the activists take issue with the federal immigration laws, they should seek relief in Washington, not Pomona.

ROBERT M. MOSCHORAK

Los Angeles District Director

Immigration and Naturalization Service