Costa Mesa Police Can Question Migrant Status
COSTA MESA – This Orange County city has become the first in the United States to approve a federal program that allows police to investigate the immigration status of criminal suspects.

That happened early this month when the City Council in this community of more than 100,000 voted 3-2 to join the program that trains local police to identify and detain criminal aliens.

No other U.S. cities have committed to joining the program amid a nationwide debate over illegal immigration, although Florida and Alabama allow state police to check the status of some arrestees.

"If this goes through, right now Costa Mesa would be the first city involved in this program and get the training to check immigration status," Councilman Gary Monahan said.

Latino activists have argued that police officers have no right to question immigration status and said that the plan would lead to racial profiling and civil rights violations.

Hundreds of thousands of people cross the border from Mexico each year, and that is becoming a major political and security issue. President Bush has identified immigration reform as one of his major goals for next year.

"I requested that we go forward with this because I believe the public is asking us to do this and quite honestly the federal government has failed miserably," Mayor Allan Mansoor said.

"They need to do what the public expects and that's enforce the immigration laws and focus on public safety."

Councilman Monahan said Costa Mesa's plan, which hinges on approval of a similar arrangement proposed by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, would apply only to suspects arrested for felonies and gang-related crimes.

"If you are a real bad guy, someone who has committed a sex crime or a robbery, we don't want you here if you're not supposed to be here in the first place," he said.

Monahan said the debate over the program went on for four hours and became so heated that police had to remove one man from the council chambers.