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The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office is requesting that prosecutors not charge illegal immigrants with minor crimes to protect them from eventual deportation.
In an internal letter obtained by the Baltimore Sun, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow asks state prosecutors to withhold charges for minor crimes against illegal immigrants to protect them from deportation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“In considering the appropriate disposition of a minor, non-violent criminal case, please be certain to consider those potential consequences to the victim, witnesses, and the defendant,” Schatzow wrote in the letter, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The move to create two separate justice systems, one for Americans and one for illegal immigrants, is also occurring in Brooklyn, New York.
Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has similarly requested that prosecution and conviction of criminal illegal immigrants not lead to their deportation by DHS, demanding they be shielded from federal law.
“Now, more than ever, we must ensure that a conviction, especially for a minor offense, does not lead to draconian consequences like deportation, which can be unfair, tear families apart, and destabilize communities and businesses,” Gonzalez’s said of the new policy, according to Brooklyn Daily.
New York Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), who has also announced a run against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, called the policy by Gonzalez “outrageous.”
“This unfairly creates two justice systems: one for citizens, and one for illegal immigrants,” Malliotakis told Brooklyn Daily. “It is outrageous that a district attorney, whose job is to enforce the laws of our city and state and ensure that victims receive justice, would create a situation that allows an individual to plea down to a lesser crime simply because he or she is undocumented.”