This Palm Beach Post editorial takes a strong stand in supporting the policy change at PBSO to not detain people brought in on minor offenses for immigration status issues. They make many good points. Click title for link.
The practical effect is that jail officials and local police become an extension of the federal immigration system. A cop may bring someone to the jail on a charge of loitering or driving without a license, and a few days later that person could find him or herself on a track toward deportation. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Palm Beach County’s jail was detaining more than 500 people a year at the request of federal immigration officials.
This is a dangerous trend, because it breeds distrust of police in the county’s many immigrant communities. That distrust discourages people in these vulnerable groups from calling police or ambulances when they need help, and also from reporting crimes. This only increases their likelihood of being targeted for crimes, and it undermines outreach efforts by local governments.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhHyCn84ZIQ/WezjlEL-0tI/AAAAAAAAPZ4/CzkhriK6zpEJJ3d9Je1495d49gIhnMlxACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
