Police, Residents Discuss Deportations

It’s an issue that has been simmering in Anaheim for months. And Sunday, more than 260 residents took their concerns straight to Anaheim police, telling Community Affairs Sgt. Mike Hidalgo their biggest fear: They don’t want to be deported for a minor traffic violation simply because they don’t have proper identification.

Sunday’s forum at St. Boniface Church in Anaheim was the result of a months-long process by community members, who listed fear of deportation and police interaction as one of their most pressing concerns.

“The undocumented community fears every time the police stop them,” said Anaheim resident Reina Gonzalez, a member of St. Boniface Church. “There’s nothing we can do. If they are undocumented, there’s no way we can get them a license. If they go to jail, they end up being sent to Mexico, and they have families to support here.”

Orange County Congregation Community Organization, a grass-roots group from 12 diverse churches, interviewed more than 200 families, and many asked them to organize a meeting with a police to discuss concerns.

Under a state law passed in 1993, illegal immigrants cannot be issued a California driver’s license or identification card without a Social Security number. If they are caught without a driver’s license or other form of identification, police can arrest them and book them into jail. Once at Anaheim City Jail, where INS agents are stationed as the result of a city policy, the agents can question suspects about their immigration status--a process that can lead to deportation.

“We don’t want a person who gets stopped for a petty little crime to be taken into custody and deported,” said Anaheim resident Francisco Delgadillo, president of Jovenes Para Cristo and a leader of the Congregation Community Organization.

Many Anaheim residents have friends or relatives who have been deported--all because they ran a red light or forgot to use a turn signal, he said.

Delgadillo’s brother-in-law was riding to work with a friend who was driving without a license and identification. He was pulled over for a minor infraction, taken into custody, interviewed by an immigration officer stationed at the Anaheim jail and ultimately deported to Mexico, Delgadillo said. Others gave similar testimonies.

Milagro Flores said she fears that people, including some victims of domestic violence, are not calling police when they need help because they do not have ID cards.

There is no easy fix, said Hidalgo, who jotted down several names and numbers and promised to research their cases and respond to their questions later.

But he assured the residents that Anaheim police, along with law enforcement agencies throughout Orange County, will accept cards issued by the Mexican government as a proper form of identification during police stops.

If the stop is for a misdemeanor, the ID card can often result in a written citation rather than a trip to jail, Hidalgo said.

Debbie Phares, community organizer with Congregation Community Organization, said police provided statistics that indicated roughly 325 people this year had immigration holds placed on them as a result of minor traffic violations or hit-and-run accidents. Only a small percentage had committed serious crimes.

As part of Sunday’s report to police, the group suggested that the city restrict INS access to arrestees, giving them access only to people with a criminal history or who are arrested on felony charges.

The best solution, Hidalgo said, is to change the law.

Dozens at the forum signed a petition to send to Gov. Gray Davis in support of a law that would allow immigrants in the process of legalization to earn their driver’s license.