TRIETON, Mon. -- The mayor of one of the nation's largest cities has instructed his police force not to check immigration status of people detained by police.
Felipe De Orondes, a Nationalist elected in 2017, issued the directive Monday morning.
In a press conference with Trieton Police Chief Gary Rudling, Orondes said immigration status is something local officials should not be concerned with.
"Our local police have far more important things to deal with on a daily basis than checking to see if someone overstayed a VISA or not," De Orondes said.
Another factor that led to the new policy is concern that undocumented residents may feel threatened and targeted by police, and thus less likely to cooperate with police in investigations.
"Very often, police are investigating a murder or a serious crime, and there are people who know information, who would ordinarily come forward, but they're too scared to speak with police because of their immigration status," said De Orondes.
"This leads to a culture of fear and Trietoners don't want our city to be clouded by fear and suspicion," he added.
Rudling said his department would implement the new policy immediately.
"We want all residents of our city, and visitors, to feel safe, to feel comfortable coming to police. Our police department's mission is to protect our community, and if we have certain groups of people who don't feel safe, that's a problem for us," said Rudling.
The controversial policy is not without its critics.
Trieton City Councilman Troy Keeble, an outspoken conservative, ranted against the idea at last week's city council meeting.
"When did it become OK to break the rules and not get punished for it?" Keeble said. "Police are here to enforce the rules, to get the people who break the law off the streets. And now you (Mayor De Orondes) are undermining the ability of our local police to do their job, and you're putting our community at risk."
De Orondes said fears about the new policy are overblown.
"There is a lot of politics going on here with this, and I realize that a lot of people are pushing back. But it comes down to what kind of city do you want to have. Do you want to have a city where people feel safe, where they trust police, where they don't live in the shadows? Or do you want the opposite. Obviously Councilman Keeble wants the opposite. I don't," said the mayor.
In response, Monomi Governor Will Huxton, another hard-line Conservative who has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, directed the Monomi State Police to continue to check for immigration status when pulling people over for traffic infractions.
"It is imperative that Monomians know that they're government and they're policemen and women are doing their job and protecting our state from people who don't belong here," said Huxton.
Under Huxton's directive, police will not necessarily check immigration status, but they will check drivers license information and identification databases to confirm someone is allowed to be in the country.
If someone is found to have overstayed their foreign VISA, or to have come to the country illegally, Monomi State Police are instructed to inform federal border agents.
A spokesperson for the Monomi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) called Huxton's policy "disgusting."
The MHRC is among several groups who have vowed to fight the new policy in court.
Monomi Attorney General John Liu, also a Nationalist, said his office will join the lawsuit.
Monomi's four senators -- all Conservatives -- have yet to officially comment on the issue, but Senator Kerry Paul said in a statement that "local police should be empowered to do their jobs without larger, over-arching political and culture wars interfering with their work."
Other cities across the country have been considering issuing similar proclamations but Trieton is the first, and most notable, as it the largest Grassadellian city most near the southern border with Tundra.
Data from independent studies, the Royal Guard of the Realm and Department of National Security have shown that nearly 40% of people who enter the country illegally each year do so through the state of Monomi.
The state is ground zero in the illegal immigration debate, with many poor migrants from Tundra and other countries attempting to cross the border in the rural Monomi Desert.
In response to the growing controversy, President Jim McCaren in April asked Congress for funding for 3,000 additional border agents nation-wide, but Congress has not yet acted.
Felipe De Orondes, a Nationalist elected in 2017, issued the directive Monday morning.
In a press conference with Trieton Police Chief Gary Rudling, Orondes said immigration status is something local officials should not be concerned with.
"Our local police have far more important things to deal with on a daily basis than checking to see if someone overstayed a VISA or not," De Orondes said.
Another factor that led to the new policy is concern that undocumented residents may feel threatened and targeted by police, and thus less likely to cooperate with police in investigations.
"Very often, police are investigating a murder or a serious crime, and there are people who know information, who would ordinarily come forward, but they're too scared to speak with police because of their immigration status," said De Orondes.
"This leads to a culture of fear and Trietoners don't want our city to be clouded by fear and suspicion," he added.
Rudling said his department would implement the new policy immediately.
"We want all residents of our city, and visitors, to feel safe, to feel comfortable coming to police. Our police department's mission is to protect our community, and if we have certain groups of people who don't feel safe, that's a problem for us," said Rudling.
The controversial policy is not without its critics.
Trieton City Councilman Troy Keeble, an outspoken conservative, ranted against the idea at last week's city council meeting.
"When did it become OK to break the rules and not get punished for it?" Keeble said. "Police are here to enforce the rules, to get the people who break the law off the streets. And now you (Mayor De Orondes) are undermining the ability of our local police to do their job, and you're putting our community at risk."
De Orondes said fears about the new policy are overblown.
"There is a lot of politics going on here with this, and I realize that a lot of people are pushing back. But it comes down to what kind of city do you want to have. Do you want to have a city where people feel safe, where they trust police, where they don't live in the shadows? Or do you want the opposite. Obviously Councilman Keeble wants the opposite. I don't," said the mayor.
In response, Monomi Governor Will Huxton, another hard-line Conservative who has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, directed the Monomi State Police to continue to check for immigration status when pulling people over for traffic infractions.
"It is imperative that Monomians know that they're government and they're policemen and women are doing their job and protecting our state from people who don't belong here," said Huxton.
Under Huxton's directive, police will not necessarily check immigration status, but they will check drivers license information and identification databases to confirm someone is allowed to be in the country.
If someone is found to have overstayed their foreign VISA, or to have come to the country illegally, Monomi State Police are instructed to inform federal border agents.
A spokesperson for the Monomi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) called Huxton's policy "disgusting."
The MHRC is among several groups who have vowed to fight the new policy in court.
Monomi Attorney General John Liu, also a Nationalist, said his office will join the lawsuit.
Monomi's four senators -- all Conservatives -- have yet to officially comment on the issue, but Senator Kerry Paul said in a statement that "local police should be empowered to do their jobs without larger, over-arching political and culture wars interfering with their work."
Other cities across the country have been considering issuing similar proclamations but Trieton is the first, and most notable, as it the largest Grassadellian city most near the southern border with Tundra.
Data from independent studies, the Royal Guard of the Realm and Department of National Security have shown that nearly 40% of people who enter the country illegally each year do so through the state of Monomi.
The state is ground zero in the illegal immigration debate, with many poor migrants from Tundra and other countries attempting to cross the border in the rural Monomi Desert.
In response to the growing controversy, President Jim McCaren in April asked Congress for funding for 3,000 additional border agents nation-wide, but Congress has not yet acted.
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