Troopers may have immigration quotas

HOUSTON (KHOU) - One Department of Public Safety trooper is not showing his face, just his outrage. The trooper is angered by what he calls immigration enforcement duties and illegal quotas some of his fellow troopers have been forced to fill. Go out, knock on doors, and retrieve documents without a warrant.

The first memo discusses the so called Image Verification System cases, informing troopers they must turn in at least two cases per week. The second memo threatens to suspend time off entitlements and secondary employment for troopers who refuse to comply. The author of the memos is Region 2A Captain Jerome Powell, who we first told you about several months ago, when he issued another memo that seemed to establish quotas.

Under state law, quotas for law enforcement agencies are illegal, and DPS is not in charge of immigration enforcement. It is not DPS's business in the state of Texas to control borders. It is the job of the federal government.

"The policy refers to delinquent cases and is not a violation of the law," said a DPS spokesman at the DPS headquarters in Austin. "The cases represent serious offenses like identity theft and financial fraud and demand immediate attention."

That is a tough sell for the men and women in uniform. Yet, something needs to be done, since they are convinced what they are being told to do is wrong.