To the editor:
Sheriff Mike Borkovich has indicated publicly that he will provide any requested assistance to ICE agents looking to detain undocumented immigrants in Leelanau. In the past, he has justified this type of assistance by saying “we will continue to enforce all laws and protections granted by the Constitution.” Sounds good, right?
Well,notsofast. First;it’s the job of federal agents to enforce federal immigration law. Notourlocalpolice. An example: the most common violation of federal law is no doubt (minor? inadvertent?) underreporting of income for tax purposes. But our local cops don’t enforce the tax code, at least not yet.
Second: by signaling in advance that our local police will provide backup the sheriff invites ICE to prioritize Leelanau. Its simple economics and personnel management; if I don’t have to provide my own backup I can send two officers, not six, to arrest a suspected illegal immigrant. Looks better on the tally sheet.
Finally: we pay local police to keep our communities safe. The best way to do that is to make sure that parents and kids see cops as protectors and friends, not somebody lurking around in the hopes of nabbing one of our classmates for a violation we didn’t know existed.
If you break our laws, fine, you get arrested. If you are not here legally when arrested, then you may get deported. But we don’t need to do the job of federal agents for them. Lets stay in our lane.
Brian Price Maple City
