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The Police Foundation has launched a national effort to bring together law enforcement leaders, public officials, scholars, and community stakeholders to collaboratively examine the implications of local law enforcement of immigration laws. The project’s culmination will include a national conference in Washington, D.C., on August 21-22, 2008, an invitation-only event at which 200 law enforcement leaders, policy makers, scholars, and community leaders will participate in facilitated discussions. Proceedings of the conference will be published and widely disseminated. Read the Conference Press Release Contact us: If you have any questions about the Police Foundation conference, please contact Raquel Manso at conference@policefoundation.org. Direct media inquiries to Mary Malina at mmalina@policefoundation.org.
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Twelve million undocumented immigrants are living in the U.S. and an additional one-half million arrive every year. In the absence of a comprehensive national strategy, state and local governments are struggling to resolve the complex and difficult issues surrounding undocumented immigration. Although the federal government has the primary role in directing overall policy regarding immigration, the effects of such policy on local communities present challenges that cannot be ignored by state and local governments. And state and local police are at the forefront of a serious dilemma regarding their role and responsibility in enforcing federal immigration law. There is concern about the impact of local law enforcement of immigration law on already strained state and local resources, and particularly on the ability of local law enforcement to maintain its core mission of protecting communities and promoting safety. As evidenced by the widespread adoption and implementation of community policing over the last 15 years, America’s police and sheriff departments have worked hard to build the community trust and support that is essential to sustaining their core mission of protecting and serving all members of their communities. They are concerned that enforcing immigration laws will undermine their efforts to build trust and support in immigrant communities so that witnesses and victims are not fearful of reporting crime. Issues such as the complexity of immigration law, proper training, and the increased likelihood of civil rights abuses also trouble local law enforcement leaders. With support from The Ford Foundation, the Police Foundation launched a national effort to bring together law enforcement agencies, public officials, and community stakeholders to collaboratively examine the implications of local law enforcement of immigration laws. The goals of the project are to review practices, constitutional issues, and economic factors; to provide state and local agencies with data and recommendations to inform public policy; and to facilitate dialogue between immigrant communities and law enforcement in order to reduce fear and mistrust and enhance cooperation and improve public safety. An important project component has been a series of focus groups held across the country and designed to elicit the perspectives and insights of those directly impacted by the issues surrounding immigration, including local police, public officials, and representatives of the undocumented community. An advisory board of distinguished members of the criminal justice, legal, and public policy communities has guided the project. |