DUI now rates immigration status check in VA Beach


Policy change follows fatal accident involving illegal immigrant
I'm still shaking my head about this one.

City police will begin asking those arrested for driving under the influence and public drunkenness if they are in the country legally, the police chief announced Tuesday.

Virginia Beach police always asked where a person was born, but if the birthplace is a foreign country officers will ask about the person's immigration status, Chief A.M. "Jake" Jacocks said.

Officers currently ask only those arrested for felony crimes whether they were in the country legally, but police will begin asking those arrested for DUI and public drunkenness, both misdemeanors. Those are the only misdemeanor arrests that fall under the policy change, Jacocks said.

Jacocks stressed that those who report or are witness to crimes will not be asked their immigration status.

The change comes after two teenagers were killed March 30 when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant who had prior alcohol-related convictions.

I don't recall exactly, but I think this is the one that Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera got into a shouting match over.

I think that legal or not, if you commit a crime in this country and you are not a citizen, you should be punished. If it's a felony, you should be deported. Even with a minor crime, you should be monitored more.

I realize that is a little strange coming from a libertarian, but immigration policy over the last couple of decades means that an illegal alien is more likely to get away with crime just because it's too much trouble to report things to the Fedgovs. That in turn has led to a higher crime rate.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - May 4, 2007 at 05:43 AM  Tag


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