By: Daniel Nardini

In yet another move to not only protect the rights of the undocumented but to regain the trust of a number of immigrant communities, Los Angeles Police Chief Jackie Beck issued a statement that he would no longer hold undocumented who commit minor offenses such as vendor infractions or driver’s license or traffic violations for possible deportation. Effectively, Police Chief Beck has withdrawn the country’s second largest city police force from the federal Secure Communities Program that sought to arrest, imprison and then deport dangerous undocumented criminals from the United States. Beck stated that he would continue holding dangerous undocumented people who have committed serious crimes such as rape, murder or arson, or who belong to gangs, or who have criminal records from the countries of origin for the federal authorities.

However, those undocumented who have committed minor offenses will no longer be held in Los Angeles jails for the federal immigration authorities to check on their immigration status. It is not hard to figure out why—too many immigrant communities are unhappy with this federal Secure Communities Program, and many civic and local leaders have withdrawn their help for the Los Angeles police. Because of this, it only makes things easier for criminals to do what they want, and it makes the jobs of the police that much worse. You can be sure that Police Chief Beck wants to regain the trust and help of all of Los Angeles immigrant communities to be able to fight the in his city. Los Angeles has a LOT of immigrant communities. Not only are there people from Latin America but also Asia. Los Angeles has more Asian immigrant communities than any other city in the United States. And many of these Asian communities have money as well as investments that Los Angeles needs.

So going after people who either commit very minor offenses or none at all is really a lousy policy. Why the federal Secure Communities Program has gone from simply getting the dangerous criminals to getting just about anyone because of their immigration status happens to be the sad truth of xenophobic prejudice. Many police departments in this country are recognizing that this federal program is not working, causing complete loss of trust in so many immigrant communities, and is doing collateral damage to so many police departments who are facing serious budget constraints of their own. That America’s second largest city is withdrawing from this program speaks volumes on this program’s failure.