Proposed ICE detention policy change opposed. . . .

According to Joel Waldman at kgun9.com:

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Letting illegal immigrants go free? Hard to believe but that could be the new federal mandate if a proposed ICE policy change is approved.

Here's the idea: If authorities pull someone over for a traffic stop and discover they are in the country illegally, authorities would be forced to let the illegal immigrant go without calling federal agents unless the individual is a convicted felon.

Even officers opposed to SB 1070 say this would set a bad precedent.

Sheriff Tony Estrada of Santa Cruz County says nothing in southern Arizona would change if the detention policy changed. He says that's because his deputies turn these kinds of cases over to Border Patrol anyway.

Just as some of the debate swirling around Arizona's new immigration law began to cool off, a possible new Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy has some mad hot.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is very upset about possible policy changes to ICE that read in part, "Immigration officers should not issue detainers against an alien charged only with a traffic-related misdemeanor unless or until the alien is convicted."

Babeu said "now it appears what they have in some draft policies and their proposal is to water down any strength in the federal law whatsoever and this is clearly in direct opposition of what the people really want."

Even Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada, who leaned strongly against SB 1070, thinks this sort of federal policy change is suspect. "It is surprising they would make that decision. I would suspect once an individual is identified as being here illegally, some process would kick in...that would deport that person," he said.

Ariz. Sen. Jon Kyl weighed in, along with Texas Sen. John Cornyn, writing this to Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano:

"Based on our review of these memos, we are concerned that these new policies would circumvent, rather than promote the enforcement of, immigration laws pertaining to illegal aliens."

Laws these politicians and law enforcement officers fear are getting a little bit too lax.

http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13104666