Speaking Thursday night at the 34th annual Community Congress sponsored by Hartford Areas Rally Together, Arlene Angel said several incidents have been reported in recent months in which officers threatened to contact federal immigration officials because of minor incidents, such as improper vehicle registration.
Angel, a member of HART and the Hartford Immigrant Rights Coalition, said the incidents have spread fear in the community.
"In order to feel comfortable reporting crimes to the police in Hartford, immigrant residents need to be confident that officers will follow the law that was passed unanimously by our city council and signed by our mayor," Angel said in a statement in Spanish that was translated on a screen at the Learning Corridor's Theater for the Performing Arts.
Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts, who had been invited to the meeting, said the policy has been covered in training and highlighted in two memos to officers. The most recent one, issued Nov. 6, says officers "shall not question victims or witnesses about immigration status."
If the individual is a suspect in a criminal investigation, a supervisor will decide if federal immigration officials should be contacted, Roberts said.
Residents should file complaints with the department if an officer has not followed the policy, he said.
"I will not tolerate police misconduct on any level," Roberts said.
The council unanimously passed the ordinance in August 2008, in part to encourage undocumented immigrants to report crimes.
As he was leaving Tuesday's meeting, Roberts said he was surprised when he was handed a copy of Angel's statement. "I don't think this was the forum for a question like this," Roberts said. "It was a little aggressive."
This is why this country is such bad shape. illegal immigrants come here get a job with fake ID's, and all these Company's hire them so they can pay lower wages.What ever happened to take care of our own first.I work for a company in New Haven that most of the employees are illegal and no one does a thing about it. What a Country we live in.This is one reason the unemployment rate is so high.Any Company that hires illegal immigrants should have INS pay them a visit,but we all know that is NOT going to happen.
robinl58 (11/14/2009, 6:56 AM )