Five hundred residents of Bergenfield, New Jersey, a city with record numbers of immigrants looking for work in the streets, have asked city officials to enable the local police to enforce immigration laws.

The petition has the support of state organizations known for their commitment to making laws that pertain to undocumented immigrants stricter. Bergen residents are asking city officials to implement, at a local level, the federal program known as 287(g).

In accordance with this federal program, implemented under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security, the US government trains local police on how, in addition to check immigration status and to initiate deportation procedures whenever appropriate. The organizations supporting the petition would like to see the Program 287 (g) implemented across the state of New Jersey.

“Bergenfield needs to start monitoring the presence of illegal immigrants in the streets of this city,” said Mike Knowles, one of the residents who signed the petition.

The response of the authorities of Bergenfield, a city of 28,000 residents, was not uniform. Some expressed an initial interest in the program; while others feared that the 287(g) program could be misused for racist purposes. There is also a group of politicians who believe that it would be impractical to focus on this type of an issue just before the elections.