White House Picks Critic of Local Immigration Enforcement for Key Role at ICE

[Sweetchuck]

FOXNews.com - White House Picks Critic of Local Immigration Enforcement for Key Role at ICE

White House Picks Critic of Local Immigration Enforcement for Key Role at ICE

By Stephen Clark

Published June 24, 2010

Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination.

The Obama administration has tapped an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level to oversee and promote partnerships between federal and local officials.

Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination. Starting July 6, Hurtt will supervise outreach and communication between ICE, local law enforcement agencies, tribal leaders and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

"Chief Hurtt is a respected member of the law enforcement community and understands the concerns of local law enforcement leaders," said John Morton, the Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE. "His experience and skills will be an invaluable asset to the ICEs outreach and coordination efforts."

But as a police chief, Hurtt was a supporter of "sanctuary city" policies, by which illegal immigrants who don't commit crimes can live without fear of exposure or detainment because police don't check for immigration papers.

He also, during his tenure as Houston police chief, criticized ICE's key program that draws on local law enforcement's support.

"There's no way you can head up an office if you don't believe in what the office is supposed to do," Curtis Collier of U.S. Border Watch, told the Houston Chronicle. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement's primary mission is to protect the American people. If this guy believes any of these programs should not be enforced, he's certainly going to be a very weak advocate for them."

Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for ICE, told FoxNews.com that Hurtt has always been a proponent of the jail model of the 287(g) program, which gives local police authority to initiate deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants linked to serious crimes -- but as a police chief, he didn't favor more proactive local enforcement because he didn't believe it was the best utilization of his resources.

"I think the critics are only talking about half of what he said," she said. "He's always been a strong proponent of every law enforcement agency making those decision on their own."

Critics say his pro-immigration policies enabled illegal immigrants to kill two police officers and seriously injure another in Phoenix before he left in 2005 and to kill an officer in Houston before he retired in 2009.

The widow of one of the officers, Rodney Johnson, who was fatally shot by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record, is suing Hurtt for enacting policies that she says led to his death.

But Nantel dismissed such allegations.

"The responsibility of those homicides lies on the shoulder of the individuals who committed the crimes," Nantel said.

Hurtt's position at ICE reportedly pays $180,000 a year.

 

[WillowTree]

so obviously obie wan doesn't believe in the "rule of law", so we can scratch the rule of law, don't ever arrest anyone again, if 30 million people can break the law the rest of us can too.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

Harold Hurtt is a joke and his appointment is no surpirise. I'm convinced that Obama doesn't really like the US.

 

[Nate]

It does seem that way lonestar. I mean why was the man even considered for this position? Looks like we'll have another apointee by Obama that won't take his job too seriously.

 

[Ravi]

"There's no way you can head up an office if you don't believe in what the office is supposed to do,"

Exactly why Republicans should not be allowed to hold elected office.

But the real story is different than what FAUX News claims (shocker!):

Hurtt and the former mayor announced in spring 2009 that the city would participate in 287(g), provided it was confined to the city's jails. Hurtt steadfastly opposed having Houston officers question people in the field about their immigration status.
That decision resulted in backlash from some members of the police union and anti-illegal immigrant advocates but won him praise of leaders in Houston's immigrant community.
Hurtt said Wednesday that his reluctance stemmed in part from HPD's "resource capabilities."
"I had concerns about officers in the field concentrating their efforts and resources on the enforcement of immigration," Hurtt said.
He also said he feared that having officers question suspects in the field could result in fewer members of immigrant communities coming forward to report crime.
"I think that was a legitimate concern and still is," Hurtt said.
The city eventually backed away from participating in 287(g) and instead chose another ICE partnership, called Secure Communities, which runs fingerprint-based immigration history checks on all suspects booked into the local jails and notifies ICE automatically of any "hits" in the system.
Hurtt said that in his new role, he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status.
"That's a decision that needs to be made at a local level," he said.

Former HPD police chief takes job with ICE | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

 

[RetiredGySgt]

"There's no way you can head up an office if you don't believe in what the office is supposed to do,"

Exactly why Republicans should not be allowed to hold elected office.

But the real story is different than what FAUX News claims (shocker!):

Hurtt and the former mayor announced in spring 2009 that the city would participate in 287(g), provided it was confined to the city's jails. Hurtt steadfastly opposed having Houston officers question people in the field about their immigration status.
That decision resulted in backlash from some members of the police union and anti-illegal immigrant advocates but won him praise of leaders in Houston's immigrant community.
Hurtt said Wednesday that his reluctance stemmed in part from HPD's "resource capabilities."
"I had concerns about officers in the field concentrating their efforts and resources on the enforcement of immigration," Hurtt said.
He also said he feared that having officers question suspects in the field could result in fewer members of immigrant communities coming forward to report crime.
"I think that was a legitimate concern and still is," Hurtt said.
The city eventually backed away from participating in 287(g) and instead chose another ICE partnership, called Secure Communities, which runs fingerprint-based immigration history checks on all suspects booked into the local jails and notifies ICE automatically of any "hits" in the system.
Hurtt said that in his new role, he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status.
"That's a decision that needs to be made at a local level," he said.

Former HPD police chief takes job with ICE | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

You just PROVED the point dumb fuck.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

"There's no way you can head up an office if you don't believe in what the office is supposed to do,"

Exactly why Republicans should not be allowed to hold elected office.

But the real story is different than what FAUX News claims (shocker!):

Hurtt and the former mayor announced in spring 2009 that the city would participate in 287(g), provided it was confined to the city's jails. Hurtt steadfastly opposed having Houston officers question people in the field about their immigration status.
That decision resulted in backlash from some members of the police union and anti-illegal immigrant advocates but won him praise of leaders in Houston's immigrant community.
Hurtt said Wednesday that his reluctance stemmed in part from HPD's "resource capabilities."
"I had concerns about officers in the field concentrating their efforts and resources on the enforcement of immigration," Hurtt said.
He also said he feared that having officers question suspects in the field could result in fewer members of immigrant communities coming forward to report crime.
"I think that was a legitimate concern and still is," Hurtt said.
The city eventually backed away from participating in 287(g) and instead chose another ICE partnership, called Secure Communities, which runs fingerprint-based immigration history checks on all suspects booked into the local jails and notifies ICE automatically of any "hits" in the system.
Hurtt said that in his new role, he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status.
"That's a decision that needs to be made at a local level," he said.

Former HPD police chief takes job with ICE | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

What does this have to do with Republicans? Hurtt was police chief in Houston under a democratic mayor (Bill White) both helped make Houston a "sanctuary city" and now he's given this appointment by another democrat.

Oh and FYI, the Houston Chronicle has been and is Bill White's biggest supporter. So anything you read from the Chronicle about Bill White, just know there is a definite bias there.

 

[Angelhair]

Many of us are aware that any person or persons that Obama picks for one thing or another, that person will have radical views regarding his position....so get ready for a rough and tragic ride.