Published: August 4, 2010

Santos Reyes of Arlington, Va., says she knows firsthand the consequences of local police helping to enforce federal immigration laws.

The Salvadoran green card-holder and mother of six saw son Brian, 18, deported to Honduras last year when police learned he was undocumented after an incident at a high school party. Officers turned him over to federal authorities even though he was not charged with a crime.

"For me, he's my boy," Reyes, 50, said in an interview at her home. "It's so difficult. Brian's not here; because we're a family that's united, very tight."

While national attention focuses on a new Arizona law that would require local law enforcement to act on "reasonable suspicion" to investigate and detain illegal immigrants, police officers in many communities already assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws during the course of their daily duties.