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The immigration battle comes to America's towns. Some want crackdowns, others offer sanctuary.
With Washington stuck in place on illegal immigration policy, local
governments are taking the matter into their own hands, shifting
the cultural and political battleground from Pennsylvania Avenue to
Main Street, USA. NOW catches up with two New Jersey mayors who
have sharply different - and politically surprising - approaches to
dealing with undocumented immigrants in their communities.
Morristown mayor Don Cresitello, a Democrat, wants to invoke a
Department of Homeland Security provision that would grant his
police department federal enforcement powers in dealing with
illegal immigrants. "They shouldn't be here, and we shouldn't be
spending that money on a population that's not supposed to be in
this country," Mayor Cresitello tells NOW.
An hour away, Hightstown mayor Bob Patten has turned his little
town into a "Sanctuary City" - a place where law-abiding illegal
immigrants are protected and embraced. "We don't ask people what
their immigration status is now," says Mayor Patten. "We simply
want to treat everybody justly, fairly. There's a due process."
NOW's David Brancaccio visits the mayors and members of their
immigrant communities to uncover the impact these measures are
having and the passions that fuel them.
NOW Online will provide more information about the show and further
examine 287(g), a Department of Homeland Security program that
allows local police departments to expand the scope of their
immigration enforcement tactics.