If It Aint Broke...

Feeling left out, the Richfield City Council entered the fray of illegal immigrants. OK, they didn't do it voluntarily, but an advocacy group did by orignating a proposal for a new ordinance. It would "codify" an already unwritten policy where the police do not ask the immigration status of people reporting crimes. This move has Richfield hitting the immigration news map in San Francisco even. The Richfield Sun-Current has a couple of quotes that lead me to think just leave it alone.

Ordinance proponents said they have anecdotal evidence that some immigrants are reluctant to approach police.

“I like less government, not more, and I don’t want to pass anything without evidence that there’s anything going on,” Councilmember Wroge said. “We’re [looking at] making an ordinance, and it hasn’t been proven that there’s a problem.” Kilian agreed. “I would like to see something that’s more objective instead of something that is a feeling,” he said.

Clerk typist Jennifer Romo, who works as a Spanish language translator for Richfield police, said officers she has worked with have never asked about documentation in the more than 20 years she’s worked for the department. Romo said she has not encountered people who are afraid to come forward and give a report. Director of Public Safety Dan Scott and a Sgt. Dave Kromschroeder also said that they have not noticed a fear of police among immigrants.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly do not want justice, but would this really fix something that might not be broken anyway? Besides this point, passing this ordinance essentially diminishes our immigration laws to being merely a suggestion rather than a law. The council eventually agreed to discuss the issue further within the city's Human Rights Commission. I guess I'd just like to see the problem proven to exist before we put another ordinance on the books.