Why are Houston mayoral candidates wrong about 287g?

Nov 21, 2009; Houston, Texas.

Both of Houston's mayoral candidates, Annise Parker and Gene Locke, support the idea of bringing in the 287(g) federal program into Houston's Police Department (HPD) operations.

I believe this is "wrongheaded." What do you think? Why?

Numerous reports on the implementation of 287 (g) strongly indicates that in practice, 287(g) opens the door to "racial profiling" by police and sheriffs deputies against immigrants in general and against Latinos, in particular. Perhaps, most importantly, 287(g) "tramples" on everybody's democratic rights by undermining the main function of local law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute criminals. 287g destroys "trust" between the Hispanic communities and law enforcement officials in general and leads to less cooperation in rooting out organized crime as well as crime committed by dangerous individuals.

Statistics show that immigrants [and undocumented workers] have a much lower rate of criminal activity and convictions than U.S. citizens.

The federal government and DHS assert that 287(g) is designed to "train" local law enforcement officials to "detect" undocumented immigrants and to "enforce" certain federal immigration laws by detaining "undocumented immigrants" including those who are stopped for minor traffic violations.

The run-off election for Houston's next mayor occurs on December 12, 2009 with early voting beginning on November 30, 2009. There is very little discussion of this critical issue.

So who is pushing 287g and why? And what is the connection between 287g and the private "profit-making-family-busting" detention centers like T.Don Hutto in Williamson County and

Willacy Processing Center in Raymondville, Texas?

And, locally, what HAVE BEEN the economic, political, and social consequences of Harris Commissioners Court's adoption of 287(g) for the Harris County Sheriff's Department in

2008 ?

O.K folks, what do you know, what do you think, what should we do, and what can we do about 287g--- locally, regionally and throughout the U.S.A?

And how can Houston's mayoral candidates, Annise Parker (a former oil company executive) and Gene Locke (a corporate lawyer), be compelled to look at the real costs of adopting 287g?