Amendment to DHS Authorization Bill Would Turn Police into Immigration Agents

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., denounced recent actions taken by the U.S. House of Representatives which undermine the Latino community’s relationship with the police and make neighborhoods less safe. On Wednesday, the House passed an amendment offered by Rep. Norwood (R-GA) which gives state and local police the authority to apprehend, detain, and deport immigrants, while providing no resources to do so and requiring no training in immigration law.

“This amendment would seriously undermine the trust between Latinos and the police who are supposed to serve and protect the entire community,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. “The entire community will be less safe if some members of the community will not come forward to report crimes or suspicious behavior because they fear law enforcement officials.”

“Immigration law is incredibly complex and, without proper training and resources, the police are likely to make mistakes and harm innocent people. And having police enforce immigration laws also takes resources away from investigating crimes and fighting terrorism,” continued Murguia.

Hundreds of community leaders, police chiefs, law enforcement organizations, and city and state officials have opposed efforts to engage the police in the enforcement of immigration laws, citing the impact on community trust and the lack of resources to expand their mandate.

“While the Senate and the White House talk about meaningful comprehensive immigration reform, the House Republicans continue to pass harmful legislation without the benefit of hearings or meaningful debate,” concluded Murguia. “These measures do absolutely nothing to fix our broken immigration system; instead, they harm our community and are detrimental to public safety.”

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