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Illegal immigrants present law enforcement challenge

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The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office efforts to step up enforcement at the Bluffton House apartment complex, site of at least six armed robberies this year, probably will result in arrests and an abatement of crime there.

But the problem of illegal immigrants not reporting crime because they fear deportation isn't going to go away. And the sheriff should expect it to only get worse when deputies trained to enforce immigration law start doing so.

Deputies say that many crimes perpetrated against Hispanics are not being reported. Hispanics are targeted, officials say, because some carry large amounts of cash and are reluctant to talk to authorities because they fear they might be deported.

Last year, the Sheriff's Office made arrests in 90 cases originating at Bluffton House. But Sheriff P.J. Tanner says that a cultural gap is hindering deputies' ability to make more arrests. Crimes are reported a day later or are not reported at all.

Over on Hilton Head Island, deputies reported a drop in overall crime rates in 2006. Property crimes saw the biggest drop, falling 10.7 percent, from 2,209 in 2005 to 1,811 in 2006. For the fourth quarter of 2006, the number dropped 21 percent compared with the same three months in 2005.

But Capt. Toby McSwain told the Town Council's Public Safety Committee that the Sheriff's Office thinks property crimes might actually be 40 percent higher than what is reported. One of the major challenges is communicating with the increasing number of Hispanic residents.

"They've been really hesitant about contacting law enforcement in reference to those crimes," McSwain said. "We're asking for them to cooperate with us."

But that cooperation isn't going to be very forthcoming if those here illegally fear that interaction with law enforcement could lead to their being deported. And assurances from deputies that only those committing crimes face deportation probably will do little to assuage their fears.

Tanner is working to get some deputies certified to enforce federal immigration laws. The deputies would be trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The training would allow deputies to detain illegal immigrants for deportation.

Given our overcrowded jails, it's easy to understand why Tanner and Philip Foot, director of the Beaufort County Detention Center, are working to get their officers certified. In September, Foot reported that about 50 of the jail's 310 inmates were suspected of being illegal immigrants. The jail's capacity is 255 inmates.

But federal officials say the policy is not to deport in lieu of a criminal charge. Illegal immigrants are greeted by federal agents after they serve their sentence.

Still, no one should be surprised to find that those who are reluctant to report crimes become even more so when deputies start detaining people on immigration charges.

Crime statistics could become meaningless when it comes to reporting what's really going on in our community.

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