A California judge blocked a lawsuit that sought to enlist Los Angeles police officers in weeding out illegal immigrants on the ground that such a policy conflicted with Federal and State law.
Police Chief William Bratton said the judge preserved "an essential crime fighting tool for us." Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the ruling recognized that "turning local police into federal immigration agents would lead to fewer arrests, prosecutions and convictions," according to the Associated Press. Officers do alert immigration officials if a suspect is a gang member who has previously been deported, or if a suspect is arrested for a felony or multiple misdemeanors. Hector Villagra, an ACLU attorney, said the decision affirmed that the Federal Government, not local law enforcement, is responsible for carrying out immigration law. Villagra added the police are "asking for carte blanche to engage in racial profiling," he said. Paul Orfanedes, a lawyer for Harold P. Sturgeon, who brought the case, said the judge sidelined tens of thousands of law enforcers who could help immigration authorities. It's "don't ask, don't tell" as regards to legal status Orfanedes said.