Do you know what the 287(g) program is?

This week, the ACLU
and 520 local and national organizations sent a letter to President Obama urging him to terminate the 287(g) program. The 287(g) program enlists state and local law enforcement agencies
in enforcement of federal immigration law.

The letter reads:

“The program has come under severe criticism this year because local law
enforcement agencies that have been granted 287(g) powers are using the program
to target communities of color, including disproportionate numbers of Latinos in
particular places, for arrest. Racial profiling and other civil rights abuses by
the local law enforcement agencies that have sought out 287(g) powers have
compromised public safety, while doing nothing to solve the immigration crisis.”

President of the
Mexican American Political Association, Nativo Lopez, told La Frontera Times
that:

“Its with great
sadness that we observe that the Obama administration continues to ignore that
growing clamor from diverse sectors of the immigrant and Latino communities
throughout the nation for an end to the enforcement-only policy that has wreaked
havoc and destruction on our families and communities. The demand for an
immediate moratorium of such a policy is more evident than ever especially
considering the president’s comments about deferring immigration reform until
2010.” Lopez concluded.

The immigration
enforcement practices dictated by the 287(g) program do not constitute
comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), and are a dangerous placeholder for CIR
while Obama puts immigration on the backburner for other domestic issues, such
as healthcare. We hope President Obama will strongly consider the termination of
the 287(g) program.