A familiar assortment of open-border anarchists (plus some mainstream do-gooder groups that should know better than to oppose public safety) are now complaining that American law shouldn't be applied to criminal aliens residing here.

Many hopeful leaders probably imagined that they would be living in a paradisiacal Obama Amnesty-Land by now, where "no one is illegal" (except perhaps loyal citizens) and an increased "flow" of socialism-friendly Marxicans would be lined up in a permanent overpopulation pipeline to complete the "change" of the country.

The object of today's ire is 287(g), a program which trains local police to detect illegal aliens in their custody.

Typically, the anti-sovereignty advocates don't even want dangerous criminal aliens removed, as we have seen in sanctuary cities that coddle violent felons to the endangerment of all.

[500 groups urge Obama to halt immigration police program, LA Times, August 31, 2009]

A coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to President Obama last week demanding that the administration end a program that allows local police to enforce federal immigration law.

The program, known as 287(g), deputizes police to turn over suspects or criminals to immigration authorities for possible deportation.

Immigrant rights groups said the program has led to civil rights violations and racial profiling.

"Racial profiling and other civil rights abuses by the local law enforcement agencies that have sought out 287(g) powers have compromised public safety, while doing nothing to solve the immigration crisis," the letter states. "The program has worked counter to community policing goals by eroding the trust and cooperation of immigrant communities and diverted already reduced law enforcement resources from their core mission."

In fact, the 287(g) system is highly effective. One example of success was the experience of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, where in a few months officers identified almost 2,000 illegal aliens, and among them about 1,000 convicted criminals, marking them for deportation [Lou Dobbs Tonight, November 28, 2006]:

SHERIFF JIM PENDERGRAPH, MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NC: Without hesitation, the people in Washington and the people in virtually every state capital in this country have been asleep at the wheel and are so out of touch with reality about what's going on in this country, one day some of them are going to wake up and say, what happened? [...]

PENDERGRAPH: When you remove a thousand people from a community that have committed a crime, it's going to make a difference in the crime rate.

[REPORTER BILL] TUCKER: And remember, that's only since May.

That's 1,000 convicted criminals removed from one county (population 902,803 as of 2008) in just seven months.

As 287(g)'s author, Rep. Lamar Smith, remarked last spring, "Those who are serious about public safety should call for its expansion."

But when open borders are Job #1, public safety is the first casualty.