ICE union president Chris Crane told the congressmen that the new ICE policy puts both the public and ICE agents at risk.

In order to slash the number of deportations and arrests for traffic offenses or lack of proper identification, law enforcement agencies in a major U.S. county are accepting Mexican-issued Matricula Consular cards --determined by the FBI to be unreliable and highly susceptible to fraud -- as a valid identification instrument.

This situation comes just a few days after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) union president, Chris Crane, told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration that agents have been ordered by ICE headquarters not to arrest illegal aliens who do not have a prior criminal conviction. That includes fugitives who have been ordered deported by an immigration judge or are individuals who have illegally re-entered the United States after being deported and thus have perpetrated a felony punishable by up to 20-years in federal prison.

"From a law enforcement standpoint what could be the possible benefit?" said Crane. "The only purpose for an order such as this is to prevent officers from making arrests which ICE leadership has allegedly stated is its goal. However, these directives not only prevent the arrest of non criminal aliens but also prevent the identification and arrest of very dangerous criminals, potentially individuals involved in terrorist activities."

Crane told the congressmen that the new ICE policy puts both the public and ICE agents at risk.

Under Crane, the ICE agents' union gave ICE chief John Morton a unanimous "Vote of No Confidence" last year as a result of Morton's pro-illegal alien policies.

The outrageous federal decree is clearly part of President Barack Obama's stealth amnesty plan that's already spared thousands of illegal immigrants from removal and will surely allow many more to remain in the U.S., claim several law enforcement officials.

To further the cause, California's Sonoma County is officially accepting the fraud-prone Mexican card known as Matriculár Consular ID to shield illegal aliens from federal authorities.

A coalition of influential open borders activists requested the move and authorities in the northern California county with a population of about 470,000 came through this week, according to the weblog at Judicial Watch, a non-profit that investigates and prosecuted government corruption.

The Sonoma officials announced the new policy at a rowdy pep rally where the county's assistant sheriff proclaimed; "today is a great day. We're now going to accept the Matriculár Consular ID." The captain of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which also patrols the area, said his officers are being trained to recognize the foreign cards and to spot "counterfeits."

Both law enforcement officials claim the cards will reduce the number of unlicensed drivers booked into jail for traffic offenses. This, in turn, will lead to fewer deportations from the jail, according to a local newspaper that covered the festive event, which it described as part victorious political rally, part community party and part tent revival.

The consular cards are controversial because the Mexican Consulate doesn't bother verifying applicants' identities before issuing them. That's why the FBI and Department of Justice have determined that the cards are not a reliable form of identification.

Additionally, Mexico does not have a centralized database to coordinate the issuance of the cards, allowing multiple IDs to be issued under the same name and address, according to the Judicial Watch blogger.

Regardless, a handful of communities across the U.S. accept the cards and several more are considering it. In fact, officials in Dayton, Ohio, are currently exploring the possibility of allowing police to accept the Mexican ID. Last fall Durham South Carolina passed a law making the card official.

When the measure was approved, a local newspaper reported that the cards are so unreliable, they're rejected by 22 of 32 Mexican states and no bank in Mexico recognizes them.

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.

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