³ÉÈËXÕ¾

The idea of booting about 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the United States with the help of local law enforcement is laughable. At least that’s what a former Seattle police chief says.

Claims by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that police already know who illegal immigrants are and they could help round them up for deportation is out of the realm of possibility, Norm Stamper says.

Related: Must we fight over the National Anthem?

Municipal and county police are just that, Stamper says. They are not ICE, not border patrol. If an officer in Seattle, for example, encounters someone who is involved in a crime and is undocumented, the officer(s) will not have a hand in deporting them, according to Stamper.

“The thought of city cops rounding up illegal immigrants is beyond my comprehension,” he added.

That’s how most understaffed police departments probably feel about the subject. In Seattle, a city where officials are working to increase the number of officers on the streets, adding even more duties is something that would raise eyebrows. Officers have been stretched so thin in the past in Seattle that neighborhoods have paid for private security because residents don’t feel enough policing is being done.

Though Stamper says some jurisdictions have taken on the idea that police are supposed to enforce all laws, most departments do not focus on all of them, including federal.

“When you’re talking about 11 million people in the country, that’s an awful lot … and do we want to use law enforcement on immigration round up?” Stamper asked. He says he hopes the answer is no.

Should local police be enforcing all laws — state and federal? Many in Washington would most likely hope not; all those legal pot shops would quickly be shut down.