Gov: Mass. police won't arrest illegals

BOSTON - Newly elected Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday he is rescinding a month-old policy imposed by his predecessor that allowed state troopers to arrest illegal immigrants.

The Democrat said he is replacing it with a program to deport convicted criminals serving time in state prisons.

Patrick said the shift would free troopers to focus on gun, gang and drug crimes, while removing illegal immigrants after they complete their sentences.

"I think that strikes the right balance between our responsibility to assure public safety and our responsibility to respond to the concerns about illegal immigration," he said.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, who is considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, announced just before leaving office that the state would allow state troopers to enforce federal immigration laws.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070111/ap_on_re_us/massachusetts_immigration

Hey! Does this mean I can break federal law too?

immigration with proper paper work is an ADMINISTRATIVE offense, not a criminal one.
This lets police concentrate on arresting criminals.