New London and ICE
N ew London police acted appropriately a week ago in assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in apprehending a man who had fled on foot through the city when the federal agents sought to take him into custody.
Police Chief Peter Reichard said later his officers did not know those in pursuit of the man were ICE agents. They did know a man was running from the vicinity of Superior Court with uniformed officers in chase. But even if they were immediately identified as ICE agents, the decision to help in pursuit would be the right one.
It would be derelict of an officer observing such a situation to let the chase proceed and not intervene.
What is troubling are the tactics used by ICE.
The target of the ICE agents was Fabricio Daelmeida-Oliveira, 33. Arrested in January at Foxwoods Resort Casino after getting into a physical altercation with his girlfriend — both were intoxicated according to police accounts — Daelmeida-Oliveira was cooperating. He was in court to discuss his participation in a family violence education program, an alternative to incarceration for first-time offenders.
ICE agents were waiting outside the court to apprehend him for some alleged immigration violation. New London police were there by happenstance. Two new officers were taking a tour of the courthouse, accompanied by a sergeant, when the chase broke out.
The problem with ICE’s approach, particularly in a case like this, is that it could well dissuade individuals without documentation from contacting police to report domestic violence, theft or intimidation — or from cooperating with local police at all — for fear that any involvement in the legal system could get the attention of ICE.
This is why New London police, by policy, don’t act as an extension of the federal immigration agency. They don’t take part in immigration raids or sweeps or hunt down individuals facing immigration detainers or deportation orders. If ICE produces a warrant, city police will hold a person for the agency.
City police want the immigration population to feel comfortable working with and turning to them when necessary. Last week’s incident may put a crimp in that effort.
ICE agents have an important job. If they have warrants, they are obliged to track down those who have failed to follow the law. But by staking out courthouses involving cases of relatively minor misconduct, they are making the job of local police in protecting the public — all the public — more difficult.