More Preferential Treatment of Illegals

Another article from WND highlighting how our nation is treating those who enter our country illegally versus natural-born citizens. Note, these "illegals" have already broken laws by entering into our country illegally. Now, when they break other laws and get caught by our law enforcement officers and are thrown into jail, the jails are now being told to treat them with kid gloves, as opposed to how our citizens who are in the same jails.

Here is the report:

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., is asking the U.S. Office of Detention and Removal Operations to explain why it's OK for jailers to use Tasers to control inmates who are U.S. citizens but not those who are in the country illegally.

Yesterday, the lawmaker – and GOP candidate for president – sent a letter to DRO Director John Torres expressing concerns over new regulations imposed on local jails that contract with his agency to detain illegal aliens prior to their trials and deportations. The new regulations ban contracting with local jails that fail to ban use of Tasers on illegals or supply them with a "pad," rather than a "bed."

He also stated:

"I think most citizens would think it extremely bizarre for the federal government to say that Tasers must never be used on an illegal alien when their use is legal for citizens," Tancredo said. "I hope that DRO will pull back from any effort to impose its 'Taser rule' on jails operated by local law enforcement.

"I also have other questions about the DRO detention standards imposed on local jail facilities," Tancredo said in his letter. "Where in federal law or regulations is it mandated that illegal aliens held in custody must have an assigned 'bed' rather than a 'pad' when the use of pads is legal for U.S. citizens? Why is there a different standard for the accommodation of illegal aliens than for citizens?"

Summit County Sheriff John Minor won't be affected by the new DRO policy. He holds illegals charged with crimes in his jail while they await trial and turns them over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement when the county is ready to release them, but he won't take federal money.

Minor told the Frisco, Colo., Summit Daily a contract with ICE would net the county about $162,000 a year based on a charge-back of $45 per day per inmate, but he won't let Washington bureaucrats tell him how to do his job.

"I figure if it's good enough for an American citizen to get Tased, it's good enough for an illegal alien to get Tased if they get out of line," Minor said.

And I like his comment here. I wish more law enforcement personnel would say the same thing:

"If we were an ICE contract facility, they would require me to tell my deputies they can't have Tasers," he said. "My response is, 'Have a nice day, just don't have it here.'"

And, this seems to have been going on for a while:

Previous DRO regulations have banned contracts with facilities that use dogs to control rioting inmates, Christensen said. Complying with all the rules would require segregation of suspected illegal aliens – an accommodation that makes federal money not worth the trouble for most sheriffs.

"These jails are not torture chambers. They protect the civil rights of people. It's hypocrisy to have them dictated (to) from Washington. They won't do it,"

And Tancredo summed it up real nicely...

Tancredo also questioned Torres on DRO's policy on lower-cost "tent cities" for detaining illegals.

"Is there anything in the DRO Detention Standards that would prohibit this approach? Are there any statutory barriers?" he asked.

"I hope that the DRO will reconsider forcing unworkable mandates on the law enforcement people who are trying to detain illegal aliens. Law enforcement needs more tools, not more restrictions, in the fight against illegal immigration," said Tancredo.