INS To Implement Quick Response Teams
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In the FY'99 budget, Congress approved $21,800,000 for the Immigration and
Naturalization Services (INS) to establish Quick Response Teams (QRTs) in
areas which in recent years have experienced an increase in "illegal"
immigration. Beginning this June, the QRTs will team INS officials with
State and local Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to apprehend and remove
undocumented non-citizens. A total of thirty-five QRTs will be located in:
Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. As written, the establishment of QRTs will
not give federal immigration authority to LEAs. Rather, if an LEA arrests
someone he suspects to be undocumented, he must call a Law Enforcement
Support Center for initial determination of citizenship. If no proof of
residency or citizenship is found, the local QRT will be alerted to take
action. When not following up on police suspicions, the QRTs will be
involved in community policing activities, sometimes referred to as
"sweeps" for undocumented immigrants. LULAC is concerned that this new
program will encourage the wrongful arrest of documented Hispanics by LEAs
and will be closely monitoring the development of this program to ensure
that it does not abuse or unlawfully harass Hispanics.

{Special Thanks to HHS-HEO News e-mail list-  Editor, Carl Montoya}