The Escondido Police Department has new allies in its fight against crime: two immigration agents, according to the North County Times.
The two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who started working with the department last month, assist patrol officers in their contacts with criminal illegal immigrants, said Chief Jim Maher. They help determine whether suspects are in the country illegally or are wanted for deportation, Maher told the paper.
Victor Torres, a spokesman for the civil rights group El Grupo, said the partnership will further alienate the city's immigrant community and act as a deterrent against reporting crime in Escondido.
Maher disagreed, saying that the partnership was aimed at making the city safer for all, including immigrants.
"These criminals are victimizing immigrants," Maher said. "We're making those communities safer."
Read more: North County Times
