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LA Cops Debate Whether To Enforce Trump’s Immigration Order

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Amber Randall Civil Rights Reporter
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Los Angeles cops are considering whether to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration orders for illegal immigrants.

Some L.A. sheriff deputies bluntly stated that immigration enforcement is not a part of their jobs, reports the LA Times.

“We’re not going to be enforcing any immigration laws whatsoever. The whole concept seems to be over-politicized, when in fact we’re going to be doing the same thing we’ve always been doing,” said Commander Keith Swensson, a spokesperson with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Trump unveiled his plans last week to deal with the influx of illegal immigration into the U.S. On top of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump also plans to revamp a program that would give law enforcement officers the power to deport illegal immigrants.

Other officers have said that deportation efforts could hamper relationships between officers and the immigrants in their communities.

“We have enough issues just trying to keep the peace anyway. It’s just going to create a wedge between immigrants and law enforcement. Whether they’re here legally or not, there’s going to be a fear generated,” one veteran LAPD officer said.

California has had issues with illegal immigrants committing crimes in the state. A notable case featured a San Francisco woman who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant. The suspect had been deported back to Mexico five times before he allegedly shot Kate Steinle.

Another case featured an illegal who was later charged with murder after setting fire to a Los Angeles building. The fire killed five homeless people.

LAPD officers insisted that immigrants would no longer report crimes or trust police if they began deportation efforts.

“And if I can’t do that, I can’t get justice for people, because all of a sudden, I’m losing my witnesses or my victims because they’re afraid that talking to me is going to lead to them getting deported,” Det. Brent Hopkins said.

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