American Muslims and other people of conscience are urged to contact their elected representatives to oppose the recently introduced Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act, or CLEAR Act, which would require local law enforcement authorities to act as branches of the INS, thereby compromising their role as protectors of local populations, alienating crime victims and potential witnesses, and minimizing their ability to effectively fight violent crime.

While enforcement of immigration laws is important, such enforcement should not compromise community safety. Police departments that have tried enforcing immigration law in the past have met with disastrous results. Having learned from this experience, police departments around the country, including those of several major cities, have issued statements opposing any attempt to deputize them to enforce immigration law.

They argue that such policies:
A. Alienate crime victims, preventing them from reporting crimes
B. Alienate potential witnesses and informants, depriving police departments of essential information
C. Burden police with additional responsibilities, spreading thin already-tight budgets
D. Undermine communication and trust between police and the communities they serve
E. Reverse decades of outreach and bridge-building towards immigrant communities living in fear
F. Undermine police department programs to fight racial profiling, by giving police a federal and financial incentive to pursue members of certain ethnic communities


The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship will hold a hearing on Thursday, September 18, 2003, at 2:30 p.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, on "State and Local Authority to Enforce Immigration Law: Evaluating a Unified Approach for Stopping Terrorists."