Continental Parlor 7 Hilton San Francisco and Towers Ballroom Level
Section on Immigration Law Margaret H. Taylor, Wake Forest, Chair
Assessing New Immigration Enforcement Strategies: At the Border and Beyond
Moderator:
Margaret H. Taylor, Wake Forest University
Speakers:
Bill Ong Hing, University of California at Davis Maria D. Jimenez, Director, Immigration Law Enforcement Mentoring Project, American Friends Service Committee, Houston, Texas David A. Martin, University of Virginia Bill Odencrantz, Western Regional Counsel, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Laguna Niguel, California
"Operation Gatekeeper." "Operation Denial." "Operation Safeguard." Operation Hold the Line: These code words name just a few of the recent enforcement efforts of the immigration and Naturalization Service. To some, these operations reflect a long-overdue effort to "crack down" on persons who would violate our nation's immigration laws. To others, they represent a disturbing militarizaton of the Southwest Border, along with a dramatic increase in people dying as they attempt to enter the United States.
Immigration enforcement has also spread far beyond the border, with the deployment of INS "Quick Response Teams," new efforts to combat immigrant smuggling, and a reassessment of interior enforcement strategies. And Congress has recently authorized the INS to contract with state and local agencies to permit local law enforcement officers to perform the functions of immigration officers. Although no such agreement has been executed, controversies over cooperation between INS and local agencies abound.