INS Agent at City Jail Well Worth Cost
* Bravo to Anaheim Councilman Bob Zemel for making a common-sense proposal to deal with criminal activity by illegal immigrants in our community (“Councilman Cites Big Savings With INS Agent at City Jail,” Nov. 2).
The article indicated that more than a third of those booked at the Anaheim Jail over a three-week span admitted to being illegal aliens. Bringing in INS resources to help with the identification process is as logical and straightforward as can be. This arrangement helps the INS to concentrate on going after the criminal elements in the illegal population, making things safer for law-abiding citizens and non-citizens alike.
Just the deterrent value of this proposal is worth the relatively small cost the city might have to bear in implementing it. As far as I’m concerned, there shouldn’t be any more foot-dragging in putting a full-scale program like this into operation.
If we can reduce crime by anything close to a third through programs like this, it will save more than the $1 million mentioned in the article. It’s about time someone shows some leadership when it comes to this critical public safety issue. I would like to see Zemel’s proposal spread throughout Orange County.
MARK DICICILIA
Santa Ana
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