Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times noted that reports of sexual assault and domestic violence are down in Latino-dominated areas of Los Angeles. NPR also published a story yesterday about four cases of domestic violence dropped by four Latina women in Denver, Colorado. The underlying factor blamed in both stories is federal enforcement of immigration laws at local courthouses.

I wrote about the fallout of this abhorrent practice last month in the Washington Post.

Seizing a person who is seeking refuge from violence subverts the protective function of police officers. If individuals fear as much from law enforcement as they do the criminals living among and victimizing them, they will not come forward to report crimes or cooperate with criminal investigations.

While immigration enforcement is often done under the banner of “public safety,” victims of crimes will be less likely to come forward if doing so risks breaking up their families by deportation. This puts more people in harm’s way and enables abusers and predators free rein among people too fearful to ask for the help that they need.

Moreover, despite the “law and order” rhetoric touted by the Trump Campaign and now Administration, these efforts make police officers’ jobs more difficult.

One Los Angeles Police Dept. detective told the Los Angeles Times, “It is my job to investigate crimes.… And if I can’t do that, I can’t get justice for people, because all of a sudden, I’m losing my witnesses or my victims because they’re afraid that talking to me is going to lead to them getting deported.” When he recently approached a group of Latino workers to investigate a crime, they stood up and walked away. Even though Los Angeles has repeatedly asserted its self-appointed status as a “sanctuary city” for immigrants, one of the workers uttered “Trump is coming,” as he left.

All the pro-police rhetoric in the world cannot make-up for the real-world problems that misguided immigration enforcement can cause. Emboldening violent criminals by making large swaths of the population too scared to come forward not only makes police work more difficult, it can make it more dangerous.

Supporting the police means respecting their jobs and enforcement priorities, not just reciting tough-on-crime pablum. If the Administration really cares about police officers, it should start listening to what they have to say. Immigration agents can find other ways to enforce the law than to pick on the most vulnerable at their time of need.