Maywood illegal immigration efforts unwarranted

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the small city of Maywood has taken controversial steps to eliminate most of the obstacles illegal immigrants face now that many cities are cracking down on illegal immigration.

Maywood’s city council voted to eliminate the traffic division of their police department after it received complaints that officers unfairly targeted illegal immigrants. They also passed a resolution opposing a federal law that would criminalize illegal immigration and allow local police to enforce immigration law. The city is striving to pass more legislation that would seek to improve the lives of illegal immigrants.

Maywood is approximately 96 percent Latino. The city council said it wants the city to be a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants.

This city highlights the dangerous practice of altering laws to cater to illegal immigrants. Maywood’s police department had previously set up sobriety checkpoints that began in the afternoon. This is a common practice in many cities.

The article states many of the people caught at the checkpoints did not have a driver’s license and were also illegal immigrants. The police impounded their cars and it usually cost to get them back.

The city abandoned the checkpoint policy because of the myriad of complaints received. However, the impoundings did not stop. The police still stopped people for various violations and impounded their vehicles when they found the drivers had no licenses.

This seems like a fairly acceptable policy to me: Drive without a license — the police impound the car.
But in a town like Maywood where so many of the residents are illegal, this common practice was deemed controversial, so much so the city council abolished the traffic division.

People who do not have driver’s licenses should not drive a car. Period.

How dangerous is it for a city like Maywood to set a precedent of ignoring, and in this case changing, the law to satisfy a group of criminals? Some pro-illegal immigration groups will try to play down this fact but the fact is they all broke federal law by crossing the border illegally. There should be no quarter given to criminals.

And criminals come in all colors. On St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern asked President George W. Bush to extend amnesty to the many Irish illegal immigrants living in America. I feel the same way about these people as I do the ones living in Maywood. These people who have come here illegally, marginalizing the efforts of countless millions who made their way through Ellis Island to gain entry in this country, should be held accountable for their crimes.

I am not against immigration. In fact, I firmly believe immigration is what made this country great. But illegal immigration spits in the face of our laws.

What is the point of having a border when cities like Maywood have made it virtually meaningless? In this era of global terrorism and threats to national security, border protection should be one of our state and federal government’s top priorities.

Unfortunately, the task of securing our borders has been marred by allegations of racism and hypocrisy, and has been vastly undercut by the actions of cities like Maywood.

There is no denying our country needs to reform its immigration laws. But we cannot abandon the laws we
have in order to pacify the growing group of illegal immigrants to this country. These laws were enacted for a reason — protection.

Do not forsake the protection of our borders. Do not support cities like Maywood. Do not support criminals. We cannot afford it.

Sean Cocca is a senior journalism major and the news editor of the Daily Forty-Niner.

Calendar

Display Ads