DUI checkpoints are they masquerading as immigration checkpoints?
For every drunk driver, Escondido police pick up about 10 unlicensed drivers -- a majority of which are undocumented immigrants. DUI road barriers effectively serve as immigration checkpoints in this California town.
According to a new report from KPBS news in San Diego, this policy is one of many recent initiatives by the Escondido police that directly target undocumented immigrants and the Latino population -- 49 percent of Escondido’s 145,000 residents.
Other policies include proposed restrictions on food carts and parking in Latino neighborhoods and a 2006 ban on rental properties for anyone without proof of legal residency. However, the later restraint was ruled unconstitutional and ultimately discontinued.
Escondido police paired with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2010 to initiate "Operation Joint Effort," which instituted dual DUI-immigration checkpoints.
The city is the first in the country to strike up such an agreement with ICE, so that the agency is informed whenever an undocumented immigrant is suspected. ICE also maintains an office at the local police station.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/california-dui-immigration-checkpoint_n_1339772.html