1 word response 1 reference due 2/10/2023
Cauley
When it comes to immigration and crimes there is a relationship between criminal activity and immigrant communities. People at times overestimate the relationship between immigration and criminality. Those on the outside feel as though immigrants are crime prone. This may cause many immigrants to be not well represented within the criminal justice system. Truth be told, immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than any other citizen. The trend towards greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials began years before September 11, 2001, in the 1990s, when the United States began to experience historic levels of immigration. Overwhelmed by the task of detecting, arresting, and detaining the growing population of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, federal immigration authorities and proponents of greater immigration control began advocating for greater cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. (Chishti, 2006)
Immigration issues are some of the controversial issues today in the United States. Many times, the police find themselves in the middle of such controversary. At times the police are pressured to choose a side in the immigration battle. It is very hard to police, protect, and/or patrol a community that do not communicate with you due to the immigration battle. It is hard to gain the trust and cooperation of immigrations due to them fearing deportation. It is very hard to provide them public safety. One solution is for law enforcement to educate and engage the community on the policies and practices. Whether or not our local agencies are involved in immigration enforcement, it is important that it makes efforts to build trust with immigrants' communities. This is to ease the tension between the two communities.
