ESCONDIDO – A divided council threw its support yesterday behind a state proposal to create a police agency dedicated to tracking down illegal immigrants.
The City Council voted 3-2 to support the measure, called the California Border Police Act, which would authorize construction of prisons to house illegal immigrants and create a police agency devoted to enforcing immigration laws at the U.S.-Mexico border and across the state.
Councilman Ron Newman and Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler dissented, saying that while illegal immigration is a significant statewide problem, the initiative is not the right way to address it. Councilwoman Marie Waldron requested the council's endorsement of Assemblyman Ray Haynes' initiative. At the council meeting, she connected the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with the presence of illegal immigrants in California.
Waldron, who is running for an Assembly seat, said, "Everyday the border is not secure, we're putting our families at risk," adding that the issue is personal to her because a friend died in the 2001 terrorist attack in New York City. Waldron said the initiative would be especially effective because it would allow police officers to arrest employers who hire illegal immigrants.
Councilmen Sam Abed and Ed Gallo supported the request. Waldron and Abed emphasized that the measure does not target Latino residents, but illegal immigrants. Newman, a retired police officer, said a police officer stationed in Escondido to enforce immigration laws inevitably would stop residents because they appear to be Latinos. Newman added that the initiative includes no training criteria for the police officers, which would create a safety hazard when working with the municipal police departments and the California Highway Patrol.
"I want to support this. I do. Conceptually, I understand why we need this," Newman said. "But I can't, when the L.A. sheriff's deputy association is the only law-enforcement agency in support of it."
