Feds to be notified of 'illegals' arrests

Thursday, August 23, 2007
By JOURNAL STAFF

AND WIRE REPORTS

TRENTON - State Attorney General Anne Milgram yesterday ordered all law enforcement authorities to notify federal immigration officials whenever an illegal immigrant is arrested for an indictable offense or drunken driving.
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The policy, which follows the high-profile Aug. 4 killings of three Newark college students in a schoolyard by six suspects, specifies that prosecutors and courts be notified as well. The directive is effective immediately.

Milgram said she consulted with other attorneys general before crafting the directive but found they are "all over the map" in their reporting requirements.

Some have questioned whether such a policy could have prevented the schoolyard slayings, in which at least one of the six suspects was in the country illegally.

Jose Carranza, 28, was out on bail at the time of the slayings despite having been indicted on child rape and aggravated assault charges. Federal immigration officials had not been notified of his arrest.

Milgram said that had the policy been in place when Carranza was indicted on the prior charges, federal officials might have placed an immigration hold on him, meaning he would have remained in custody or bail might have been set higher because of his immigration status.

The announcement came on the same day The Jersey Journal reported that a man accused of stabbing a 45-year-old Union City man outside a city bar earlier this month was an illegal immigrant.

At the time of the fatal stabbing, Edwardo Castillo Hernandez, 21, was serving five years probation for a burglary conviction even though he was in this country illegally, officials said.

"The attorney general should be applauded for taking this initiative in a very critical public safety issue," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, who has said federal officials have not "implemented any serious protocol to identify illegal aliens who have been charged and or convicted of a crime."

While Milgram adopted a get-tough approach to dealing with illegal immigrant suspects, she was careful not to extend immigration checks to law-abiding residents.

Her directive prohibits cops from checking the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses or people seeking police assistance, saying such policies would discourage people from coming forward to report crimes or to help authorities identify criminal suspects.