Immigration Activists Wary Of Federal Agents Working With SJPD
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A coalition of activists concerned about the presence of two Homeland Security supervisors, who are helping San Jose Police with gang issues, have gotten their wish, a face-to-face meeting with those officers. However, they said that they still want more.
A two-hour meeting with around one dozen immigration activists appeared to fail to change any hearts or minds Tuesday night.
"At the end of the day I think our concerns continue to be the same," said organizer Maria Noel Fernandez. "There is an undeniable disconnect between what we know to be true, what our realities are, and what our communities concerns are, and the approach that the Department of Homeland Security and the San Jose Police Department are taking to confront the public safety concerns."
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
However, Clark Settles, special agent in charge in the San Francisco office of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, who supervises the two federal agents in San Jose, repeatedly tried to reassure those in attendance at the meeting that the officers won't be involved in any removals of illegal immigrants.
"We're not out there focused on picking up people on the street for simply being here without status," said Settles. "These two officers are here to help with the violence in the community period."
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