COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:Analysis is misguided, disappointing

I was very disappointed in former Costa Mesa Police Chief Dave Snowden’s Community Commentary in Wednesday’s Pilot (“Time to return to sound policy”). Not only did it contain inaccurate information, but he resorted to playing the race card.

Snowden states that we used to have a “caring reputation” and that “our large Latino population trusted us.” I believe our population in general trusts us regardless of their heritage and that we do care about the community we serve. There are many people with a Hispanic last name just as I have a Middle Eastern last name. That is not the issue. The issue here is illegal immigrants who commit crimes regardless of where they are from and that we should have a reputation of upholding all laws.

Snowden mentioned that the illegal immigration enforcement proposal is to “train police to be immigration agents.” He knows this is not correct.

They will still be police officers but will be trained by and work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to make sure that illegal immigrants who commit crimes are deported. Contrary to what Snowden says, this is not always being done, and you have to read his statements carefully. He states: “We also know that convicted felons arrested in Costa Mesa are already being screened and deported if found to be here unlawfully.” There are problems with this statement. He mentions “convicted felons” so I assume he means repeat offenders who have committed prior crimes, but he does not mention new criminal arrests. And he says they are “deported if found to be here unlawfully.” The problem with that is that we only ask about their nation of origin, we do not ask about their legal status. You won’t find something you are not looking for.

Additionally, Snowden says: “We know Costa Mesa police have always been able to put an immigration hold on any arrestee suspected of being here illegally.” But we don’t in all cases. That is the point. We need to start doing that, and immigration enforcement does not have the resources to respond all the time.

Snowden mentions that “under Sheriff Mike Carona’s new program, all prisoners will be screened at the county jail for immigration status.” That is what the papers have reported, but it has not been verified officially by Costa Mesa, and we are trying to get accurate information so we know how to proceed with implementation in Costa Mesa.

I want to know if they are screening just felons or misdemeanors also. Or is it only all violent felonies? If they are screening all, I am very supportive of what Carona is doing, and it sets a good precedent. I am the first person to agree that we should not be duplicating efforts but rather should be working together. That is why we are analyzing what was approved and making decisions accordingly.

The problem we face is that we don’t take everyone to county jail, only felons. Possession of burglary tools is a misdemeanor, so if an illegal immigrant were arrested today in Costa Mesa, we would not be asking for his or her legal status, and we would not be contacting immigration enforcement. Yes, the proposal that was put forward was to screen major felons and model our proposal after the sheriff’s. If the sheriff is in fact screening all criminals, should we not be screening the ones that are not taken to county jail? There are all kinds of crimes that we should be screening for, such as making or selling false documents, various degrees of theft, assault and battery, indecent exposure, fighting in public, brandishing a weapon, drug offenses, and the list goes on. Should illegal immigrants who commit these and other crimes be released back into society? I don’t think so.

How many illegal immigrants are committing these crimes in Costa Mesa? We don’t know because we don’t ask. Fifteen percent of the inmates in Orange County jail, however, are here illegally.

According to published reports, there are about 400,000 people in California who are here illegally and are under deportation orders but did not show up for their deportation. About 85,000 of those are convicted felons. We need to start asking upon arrest. Again, this is not asking everyone, only those who are arrested. It does not involve sweeps and does not focus on victims.

This is not a “campaign of fear against Latinos” as Snowden suggests. This is about American values, upholding our laws, and keeping our community safe. The don’t-ask, don’t-tell, look-the-other-way policy must come to an end.

For these and many other reasons, I am endorsing Wendy Leece for City Council.