Dan Stubbs
FORGET ---- HELL
- Banned
- #1
Michigan state police are using Customs and Border Protection agents to assist with translation during traffic stops around Metro Detroit.
State police confirmed and defended the practice after an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer raised concerns to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
ACLU immigration rights attorney Abril Valdes says some in heavily Hispanic community of southwest Detroit perceive the tactic as a way for state police to assist with immigration enforcement, circumventing their own policy, which states : "Enforcement members of the department shall not stop and question, arrest, or detain anyone suspected of being an illegal alien solely on the grounds of his or her immigration status or alienage."
The policy, however, also says troopers who believe a suspect is in the U.S. illegally should contact immigration enforcement authorities.
State Police Lt. Michael Shaw said that while troopers may contact customs agents when help with translation is needed, they do not contact Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents, because they "have a different enforcement role."
"Troopers are instructed to utilize whatever means necessary to conduct the traffic stop as quickly and safely as possible, in order to not detain an individual any longer than necessary," Shaw said. "Sometimes it's a language barrier, other times it could be a disability and sometimes it's as simple as highway noise.
" ... Because our goal is to get the driver back on their way as quickly as possible, it would be absurd for us not to utilize the services of other officers who are nearby and available to assist with translation."
While troopers have around-the-clock telephone translation services available to them, Shaw says it's "always more effective and quicker" to translate on-site, rather than call Lansing-based language translation personnel.
Valdes also raised concerns about special state police units she said are part of a Hometown Security Team. Valdes said those enforcement efforts involve partnering CBP agents with troopers in state police patrol vehicles.
When you have troopers "actually driving with CBP in their vehicle," Valdes said, "under who's color of law are you operating?"
"MSP is in charge of traffic and Border Patrol has a different mission," Valdes said. "... So that's one of our biggest worries, that agencies are now in the same car."
Shaw said two CBP agents were part of a multi-agency effort that included six troopers patrolling highways in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. They sometimes rode along with troopers and at other times drove their own vehicles.
"The mission of (the state police) Hometown Security Team (HST) is to perform highway interdiction, intercepting drugs, guns and fugitives," Shaw said. "This team also patrols areas determined to have high crash volume and assists with special events.
"At no time has there been an immigration enforcement function to this team, as responsibility for immigration enforcement rests with the federal government."
Shaw added that the six troopers that were part of that team have since been reassigned to state police posts, "as command determined they could be used more effectively as part of post personnel."
State police confirmed and defended the practice after an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer raised concerns to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
ACLU immigration rights attorney Abril Valdes says some in heavily Hispanic community of southwest Detroit perceive the tactic as a way for state police to assist with immigration enforcement, circumventing their own policy, which states : "Enforcement members of the department shall not stop and question, arrest, or detain anyone suspected of being an illegal alien solely on the grounds of his or her immigration status or alienage."
The policy, however, also says troopers who believe a suspect is in the U.S. illegally should contact immigration enforcement authorities.
State Police Lt. Michael Shaw said that while troopers may contact customs agents when help with translation is needed, they do not contact Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents, because they "have a different enforcement role."
"Troopers are instructed to utilize whatever means necessary to conduct the traffic stop as quickly and safely as possible, in order to not detain an individual any longer than necessary," Shaw said. "Sometimes it's a language barrier, other times it could be a disability and sometimes it's as simple as highway noise.
" ... Because our goal is to get the driver back on their way as quickly as possible, it would be absurd for us not to utilize the services of other officers who are nearby and available to assist with translation."
While troopers have around-the-clock telephone translation services available to them, Shaw says it's "always more effective and quicker" to translate on-site, rather than call Lansing-based language translation personnel.
Valdes also raised concerns about special state police units she said are part of a Hometown Security Team. Valdes said those enforcement efforts involve partnering CBP agents with troopers in state police patrol vehicles.
When you have troopers "actually driving with CBP in their vehicle," Valdes said, "under who's color of law are you operating?"
"MSP is in charge of traffic and Border Patrol has a different mission," Valdes said. "... So that's one of our biggest worries, that agencies are now in the same car."
Shaw said two CBP agents were part of a multi-agency effort that included six troopers patrolling highways in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. They sometimes rode along with troopers and at other times drove their own vehicles.
"The mission of (the state police) Hometown Security Team (HST) is to perform highway interdiction, intercepting drugs, guns and fugitives," Shaw said. "This team also patrols areas determined to have high crash volume and assists with special events.
"At no time has there been an immigration enforcement function to this team, as responsibility for immigration enforcement rests with the federal government."
Shaw added that the six troopers that were part of that team have since been reassigned to state police posts, "as command determined they could be used more effectively as part of post personnel."
