ImmigrationICE steps in to help California police stop violent gangs

ICE assistance crucial to San Jose anti-gang fight // Source: sandiegocriminalattorneyblog.com

With local police departments struggling to protect citizens amidst deep budget cuts, some agencies are getting help from some unlikely places. In California, DHS agents are stepping in to help local police battle soaring crime rates.

Two agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are helping the San Jose police department battle (SJPD) street gangs as the city struggles with its highest murder rate in twenty years. Shane Folden, a spokesperson for ICE, said the two ICE agents are not working to enforce immigration status, but are there strictly to enforce the law.

“The ultimate goal is to protect the community, protect the public and try to remove those folks from the community that are there who exploit people and commit crimes,” Folden said.

SJPD officials say there are about 100 known gangs in the city with roughly 6,500 members total. The gang activity has resulted in fourteen murders in 2011 alone, more than double the number from 2010, which had six murders.

As the murder rate soars, budget cuts will force the department to reduce its police force by 100 officers this year.

“The government laying off cops isn’t helping lower the crime rate,” said Brandon Swaim, a deputy.

Given the city’s layoffs, San Jose mayor Chuck Reed thanked ICE for their help.

“We are grateful for the assistance of the federal government in tackling our gang problem,” he said.

Local authorities may welcome the help, but immigration advocates are wary of the ICE agents’ presence.

“We understand there are budget cuts, but we really hope that the police chief will work with the community to solve these issues rather than turning to ICE,” said Jill Malone of PACT, a local immigration advocacy organization.

In particular, Malone is concerned about the ICE agents after a recent scandal revealed federal agents may have misled nearby California communities into participating in the controversial immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities.

Zelicia Rodriguez, a director for Services, Immigrants Rights & Education Network, echoed these concerns stating, “With all the anti-immigrant sentiment out there, we have to be careful with what that collaboration would be like.”

“We worry that they are saying it’s to fight crime, when in reality it still is about enforcing immigration law,” Rodriguez added. “We want to make sure this is not about targeting people who are here trying to make a better life for themselves.”

Police Chief Chris Moore sought to ease these fears by assuring that the ICE agents were there strictly in a law enforcement capacity and not to enforce immigration law.

“This is about criminal gang enforcement. They are criminal investigation folks,” Moore insisted. “If you are here in the community and doing no harm, then you have nothing to worry about. If you are engaged in criminal activity, I don’t care where you came from.”

The ICE agents are deployed as part of Operation Community Shield which is designed to investigate and target violent street gangs and “seeks prosecution and/or removal of alien gang members from the United States,” according to their website.

The program was launched in 2005, and working in conjunction with local police departments ICE has arrested more than 15,000 gang members and known associates. Of the arrests, roughly 6,000 have been criminal while nearly 9,000 were administrative immigration arrests.