Rhode Island State Police: Doing the Job That Obama Wants to Prevent Arizona Police From Doing

As I mentioned earlier, the Department of Justice has initiated a lawsuit against the state of Arizona over the anti-illegal immigrant SB 1070. Given the sound and fury that's surrounded the law that allows state and local police in Arizona to check the immigration status of somebody they encounter while enforcing other laws (traffic stops, domestic disturbance calls, etc), you would think it would be the first of it's kind.

You would be wrong, however. The Rhode Island State Police have been working closely with ICE over the last three years to help verify the identity of immigrants who have been suspected, arrested or convicted of crimes in the state. This level of cooperation between the Feds and law enforcement in Rhode Island has been going for a few years now, much to the chagrin of the American Civil Liberties Union and various 'community organizers'.

Credit where credit is due- the Boston Globe had a pretty good article highlighting the differences in policies between the State Police in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

SCITUATE, R.I. — Rhode Island State Trooper Nuno Vasconcelos was patrolling Interstate 95 a few months ago when he came upon a two-car accident in heavy traffic. The trooper pulled up, stepped out of his cruiser, and asked one of the drivers for his license.

The man said he did not have a license, and under questioning, confessed that he was here illegally from Guatemala.

If the accident had happened 15 miles north in Massachusetts, the man would probably have been arrested for driving without a license, which carries a fine of up to $1,000 and 10 days in jail, then released pending an appearance in district court.

But in Rhode Island, illegal immigrants face a far greater penalty: deportation.

From Woonsocket to Westerly, the troopers patrolling the nation’s smallest state are reporting all illegal immigrants they encounter, even on routine stops such as speeding, to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

Perhaps the Commonwealth lawmakers on Beacon Hill might have a change of heart before one of their own gets rear-ended by a drunken illegal immigrant that's driving while intoxicated.

Whoops. Too late.



It's a pretty safe bet that since Isais Naranjo didn't bother with the niceties of coming into the country legally or driving while sober, it's also safe to assume that a driver's licence or auto insurance was out of the question.

But whatever keeps the 'community organizers' happy, I guess.

[Big ol' tip o' the hat to LoppyD]