(Credit: Austin Police Department)
Austin Chief of Police Brian Manley has released APD’s first report on its interactions with federal immigration agents, as well as how many times assistance was given to agencies such as the FBI or the Border Patrol.
According to the memo, police had a total of 581 interactions with federal officials last year regarding immigration issues ranging from requests for driver info to arrest records and booking photos.
Only one inquiry was made about a person’s immigration status. Manley says that was in regard to a traffic incident in which that inquiry was warranted.
Interaction with the various agencies is something that is virtually unavoidable, according to Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association.
“What people have to realize, and Greg Casar needs to realize, is that we have immigrants that commit violent crimes here every day. When they try to flee back to Mexico, you’re working with federal agents, you’re working with ICE, you’re working with the Border Patrol,” says Casaday.
Austin City Council member Greg Casar says the report is a stark reminder of the fear that Texas’ law against sanctuary city policies strikes into the immigrant community, making them less willing to come forward to report crimes and facilitating a less-safe environment.
