ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska legal advocates say fear of immigration enforcement could keep people from calling the police — a concern that has grown as federal agencies increase activity in the state. That fear comes after a Soldotna family that included two minors was deported last week to Mexico.
“People are really scared,” said Anna Taylor of the Alaska Institute for Justice. “It’s a really scary time for immigrants in general, and particularly for undocumented immigrants.”
In the same week as the Soldotna family’s deportation, a Juneau man was placed into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being released from jail following a traffic citation by the Juneau Police Department. The Juneau Police Department told Alaska’s News Source it was not involved in the man’s placement into ICE’s custody. According to the state Department of Corrections, his arrest triggered an alert to ICE under the DOC’s special agreement with the agency. The 287(g) agreement allows certain agencies to carry out immigration enforcement functions…