The police department's most controversial move, however, was establishing checkpoints to find unlicensed drivers. Last year, the department set up 18 license checkpoints, resulting in 293 impounded cars, 14 arrests and 296 citations. Maher said those checkpoints helped officers find at least 290 unlicensed drivers and helped reduce the city's number of hit-and-run crashes.
"Some folks say they are controversial because they target a specific segment of the population," he said. "That is absolutely not true. Our checkpoints are for one reason and one reason only: traffic safety."
Escondido officers ask about immigration status only if the drivers do not have licenses. Illegal immigrants are not eligible to obtain driver's licenses in California. In the last six months of 2007, officers identified six illegal immigrants and referred them to federal authorities.
The multi-pronged campaign was aided by a resolution passed by the City Council last year to "address the public nuisances of illegal immigration."
The following sentence appeared in the original version, but was removed before the resolution passed: "Illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates, contributes to overcrowded classrooms and failing schools, subjects our hospitals to fiscal hardship and legal residents to substandard quality of care, and destroys our neighborhoods and diminishes our overall quality of life."
Escondido is one of dozens of cities around the country that have employed local ordinances in an attempt to "purge their populations of illegal immigrants," said Wayne Cornelius, who directs the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UC San Diego.
Between May 2006 and October 2007, 131 cities introduced anti-illegal immigration ordinances, including several that sought to prohibit renting to illegal immigrants. Fewer than half were passed. Many were struck down by the courts.
Many Escondido residents have praised the council and the police for taking a stand on illegal immigration.
Tisha Bennett is among the more vocal supporters. Two years ago, she said, the daughter of a friend was hit and killed by an unlicensed drunk driver who had been deported and sneaked back into the country.
"It's about the law," she said. "All we want is people to obey the law."
Bennett formed a group called Citizens of Escondido for Road Safety and collected signatures in support of the driver's license checkpoints. She also backs the proposed parking ordinance.
