ImmigrationPolice chiefs, sheriffs in major U.S. cities support immigration executive order

Twenty-seven chiefs of police and sheriffs from U.S. cities — including Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, and Washington, D.C.— have joined the Major Cities Chiefs Association to defend President Barack Obama’s executive order which extends deferred deportation to about five million undocumented immigrants. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, whose state has 48,000 undocumented immigrants who could benefit from deferred deportation, is one of those defending the executive order. “I stand with police chiefs throughout the nation who applaud the president and say, yes, this is a fantastic first step,” Burbank said in a teleconference Thursday sponsored by the National Immigration Law Center. “I cannot express how important it is to move forward on this issue in light of the microscope that has appeared on law enforcement because of our response to force,” he added

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah’s Attorney General Sean Reyes has joined twenty-five other states to sue the Obama administration in federal court, arguing that Obama’s executive actions are unconstitutional because they bypassed Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives voted last Wednesday to block funding for the implementation of Obama’s executive orders, which includes deferred deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as young children. The Senate will soon vote on the House bill, and if passed, will likely be vetoes by the  president.

Many law enforcement officers around the country argue that Obama’s order will improve public safety by allowing many undocumented immigrants to feel secure enough to approach local police. They are more likely to report crime without fear of deportation, police chiefs and sheriffs assert.

“When criminals know that their victims are afraid or are unwilling to cooperate with the police, then they enjoy that. And, in fact, crime thrives,” Burbank said. Aside from the law enforcement benefits, Obama’s executive order “will create an avenue for these good, hard workers who are already contributing to the well-being of our community to do so outside the shadows,” he said

Law enforcement officers supporting the executive order say they need the trust of the communities they serve in order to find criminals and prevent crime. They believe the executive orders will help police become a closer partner of immigrant communities. “If we stand apart from our community as opposed to being a part of our community,” it fuels “mistrust, and we see that playing out time and time again now in our nation,” Burbank said. “We need now more than ever to be legitimate in the eyes of our community, and that is all community members regardless of their race or nationality or what language they speak.”

Reyes, though, says that Utah’s reasoning for joining the lawsuit against Obama’s executive order goes beyond immigration policy. “This process is what is being challenged. The process is not legal. Regardless of how you feel about the policy, it does not justify implementation in an unconstitutional manner.”