didn't see this posted. this is insane. there are so many public safety concerns if this thing passes. and from what i understand you only need a few thousand signatures. and haven't there been a couple of these elsewhere? anyone know? June 22, 2006, 1:17AM Will Houston remain a sanctuary city? Some say the national debate over immigration gives new group's petition a chance By ALEXIS GRANT Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle The heated national debate on immigration may give a boost to the Houston group that wants local police to help crack down on illegal immigrants, but getting the proposition on the ballot still won't be easy. "It is a lot of effort and takes a lot of volunteers to mount a campaign like this," said Bruce Hotze, who has helped organize several successful petition drives but so far is not involved in this one. "It can be done." On Tuesday, a new group called Protect Our Citizens announced a petition drive to require a citywide November vote on the contentious issue of whether to allow city police to question people about their immigration status. Even with the recent spotlight on immigration issues, getting the necessary 20,000 signatures from registered Houston voters by Sept. 1 will take organization, volunteers and money, analysts said. "It's doable," said University of Houston political scientist and pollster Richard Murray. "They'd have to hit the ground running." Protect Our Citizens director Mary Williams said the group is doing that. It was contacted Wednesday by several community leaders and residents who wanted to help with the project, she said. "It's a very basic grass-roots type of reaction," Williams said. Petition supporters want to change a Houston police order, which they call a "sanctuary policy," that prohibits officers from seeking information about the immigration status of people they encounter, and from detaining anyone solely for being in the country illegally. They are allowed to inquire about the status of people arrested for other crimes. Protect Our Citizens wants to get a measure on the general election ballot that would amend the city charter to permit officers to make immigration status inquiries. It would not require that they do so. Williams would not say how many volunteers are working with the organization or how much money they had raised for the effort — except that they would surely need more. But she expressed confidence in the group's strategy, which depends largely on the Internet. Under federal law being in the country illegally is a civil and not a criminal offense. The group's Web site provides a copy of the petition that supporters can download, sign and circulate. "This issue has a life of its own," Williams said. "They'll take it and run with it if they care about it." Going to the people The group also plans to seek signatures at public events and through a telephone campaign, Williams said. The police policy has generated vehement opposition since it was ordered in 1992, but it has strong support from many city and police officials. Mayor Bill White said Tuesday that local law enforcement should not be responsible for upholding immigration law. "We do not want to reduce the ability of police to investigate crimes by making them do the work of the federal authorities," he said. Questioning people about their immigration status hinders officers' ability to gain the trust of the people they serve, supporters of the policy say. "Clearly we have a lot of contacts on a daily basis with people who are not here legally, but that is not to say that they are violating some city ordinance or state law. We deal with them because they are involved in accidents, or they are victims of crime," said HPD spokesman Sgt. David Crain. "If they fear that when we pull up, that we're there only trying to seek out what their status is, we will lose that trust." Police departments in several other cities with large immigrant populations, including San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, have similar policies against checking on immigration status until after a suspect has been arrested on criminal charges. "We let (immigration authorities) do their job, and we do ours," said Senior Cpl. Donna Hernandez, a Dallas police spokeswoman. The position is not universal. Although the Phoenix Police Department does not enforce immigration laws, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office there does. Sheriff Joe Arpaio permits deputies to arrest people suspected of being illegal immigrants and charge them with a felony under state law. On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Jail held 241 such suspects. "I'm the only law enforcement officer in Arizona, probably in the whole country, arresting illegals along with the coyotes who transport them," he said. " We put 'em all in jail." Randy Capps, an immigration specialist at the Urban Institute in Washington, said local agencies often don't have the resources to enforce immigration law. "It's the logistics of determining (immigration status) and then housing and then picking up and transporting a lot of people that's costly and difficult," Capps said. "I think that means these kinds of ordinances are likely to be weakly enforced." The Major Cities Chiefs Association, a national group headed by Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt, asked Congress earlier this month to consider recommendations on immigration policing, including a measure making it voluntary for local police to enforce federal law. Chronicle reporters Matt Stiles, Mike Taylor and Mike Glenn contributed to this report. alexis.grant@chron.com chron
this will be the biggest issue locally for november. June 24, 2006, 9:34AM Immigration debate hits HPD from both sides ICE says police could be more cooperative; local group says keep current policy By MATT STILES Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Stepping into a hot local fight over city policy toward illegal immigrants, the federal agency that enforces immigration laws said Friday that Houston police could do more to help the effort. At the same time, a leading community group urged the department to stand firm on its policy limiting inquiries into suspects' residency status. Luisa Deason, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman, said the Houston Police Department still refuses to allow federal agents to screen suspects taken to the city jail. It also won't let officers help with immigration-related roundups. Asked whether the department had a "sanctuary policy," a phrase that has sparked debate in recent days because of a petition drive, Deason said, "I don't think they have it on paper, but I strongly believe we could have a better relationship with them." She also said the Police Department doesn't always notify the agency when it encounters people wanted for immigration violations. Police Chief Harold Hurtt responded that the department asks arrestees about their status and places a notice in the case file if a suspect is in the country illegally. He also said the department tells ICE when it sees that a person is wanted by the agency. "We cooperate with them as much as we possibly can," he said. Current police orders The existing police policy drew support Friday from representatives of The Metropolitan Organization, a church-based community group. They blasted a petition drive that could allow Houston police to get more involved with immigration enforcement. Gathering at a near-northside church, TMO members criticized an effort by a group called Protect Our Citizens to force a charter referendum this fall. If approved by Houston voters, the measure would change what the petitioners call the Police Department's "sanctuary" policy. Under a 16-year-old general order, officers are prohibited from asking people about their immigration status or arresting them solely on the belief that they are in the country illegally. Changing that policy, TMO members said, could hamper the already understaffed department's ability answer service calls — and possibly lead to racial profiling. "If that policy is repealed, it will not help the efforts for fighting crime," said the Rev. Oscar Cantu, of Holy Name Catholic Church. "The police need to do what they do best." Protect Our Citizens supporters say they're working to get 20,000 voter signatures by Sept. 1 in order to place the measure on the November ballot. They said the proposed charter amendment would be a symbolic gesture, telling immigrants that the city isn't a safe haven. They also it would bolster security by allowing officers to take a more proactive role in identifying people who aren't supposed to be in the country. "The net result will be that the HPD will have their discretionary authority restored," said group spokesman Paul O'Finan, a Houston lawyer. "We're going to allow the police officer to ask the question if he wants to." Policy adopted in 1992 Hurtt and Mayor Bill White have said the current policy, established in 1992, helps maintain trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. Police officials say officers aren't trained to deal with immigration violations — an assertion that O'Finan disputes. Police have also said that even if they do locate or detain suspected illegal immigrants, federal authorities don't have the bed space to house them. Hurtt said the department generally holds people wanted by the immigration agency for eight hours. Deason acknowledged that the agency's detention space is limited, forcing officials to focus on the most dangerous illegal immigrants, like those convicted of child molestation, gang crimes or other aggravated felonies. Councilwoman singled out In discussing the matter Friday, TMO members singled out Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who joined Protect Our Citizens at its Tuesday news conference announcing the petition drive and was the first to sign. TMO said Sekula-Gibbs answered "yes" in 2003 when asked at a public meeting if she would "continue, enforce and make public" the current police policy. On Friday, Sekula-Gibbs declined to discuss the pledge specifically, saying that TMO worked "actively and unsuccessfully" to defeat her council re-election race that year. "What I can tell you is that, today, Houstonians want a change in how the police enforce our immigration laws," she said. TMO cites 2003 pledge TMO said Sekula-Gibbs made the pledge at one of the group's accountability sessions, in which TMO hosts meetings of area residents and seeks yes-or-no answers from politicians about key issues. More recently, Sekula-Gibbs has criticized the policy and the city's decision to support a federally funded day labor facility, drawing criticism that she is seeking to curry favor among Republican leaders as she seeks the GOP nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. matt.stiles@chron.com chronicle
