Escondido Tackles Illegal Immigration Problem In An Unprecedented Way

The San Jose Mercury News reports that Police in the city of Escondido are taking federal immigration law into their own hands in an unusual way.

Unlike dozens of cities, counties and states across the nation whose officers have been trained by the federal government to enforce immigration laws, Escondido police are not seeking federal approval before picking up criminals in the country illegally.

This week, police officers began tracking down the 90 or so illegal immigrants in Escondido believed to have been previously deported after committing crimes in the United States. In an inaugural three-day sweep that ended Friday, Escondido police took into custody 15 criminal illegal immigrants, people who have been formally deported from the country only to return. The sweep was empowered by a new department policy that allows officers to check the immigration status of almost any suspect, drawing criticism from Latino activists.

According to authorities,and reported here in the North County Times , the operation marked the first time a local police force in the region has specifically targeted the criminal illegal immigrant population, although regional law enforcement agencies have worked previously with federal authorities to deport gang members in the country illegally.