Escondido - 2 illegal aliens with criminal records arrested, one illegal alien set free

ESCONDIDO: Two facing deportation after Saturday night police-ICE partnership

Federal immigration agents working with police Saturday night in Escondido arrested two people authorities identified as illegal immigrants with past criminal convictions.

They released another person ---- who was also identified as an illegal immigrant ---- because he didn't meet the criteria for detention under the pilot program that has put U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the city's streets with police since May, police Lt. Craig Carter said.

The program is aimed at catching illegal immigrants who have criminal histories and deporting them, Carter said. He said the program benefits the community because it helps remove the city's criminal element.

ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said evaluation of the program is ongoing, but so far, it has been successful. As of Saturday, the program had yielded 193 arrests, she said.

Critics, including Escondido Councilwoman Olga Diaz and several North County civil rights groups, have said the partnership spreads fear in Escondido's Latino community, deterring people from reporting crime because they are afraid contact with police may lead to deportation.

A North County Times reporter rode along with police and a spokeswoman for ICE on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., and caught up with police when officers called for assistance from one of the station's two full-time ICE agents.

Carter said police called agents when they had probable cause to believe someone they had stopped for another offense was in the country illegally.

Police could have probable cause to call ICE if the subject they contact can't provide identification and spoke little or no English, he said.

An officer called for agents shortly after 7 p.m. on Centre City Parkway near the onramp to Highway 78 based on such probable cause, Carter said. He said an officer stopped the man, whom police did not identify, because the handle of a lawn mower was hanging about 2 1/2 feet over the side of the bed of a pickup the man was driving.

The man did not have a driver's license and did not speak much, if any, English, Carter said.

ICE agents determined the man was in the country illegally, but he had not been convicted of a crime and had not violated a standing deportation order, Carter said. He said police would ticket and release the man.

The next call for ICE agents came about 8 p.m. from an officer who stopped a car near the intersection of Kalmia Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

A man was driving, and a woman and toddler who police said appeared to be his family were passengers in the car.

Carter said police stopped the car because its tail light was out. The man did not have a driver's license and spoke little or no English, Carter said.

While the driver and his family waited in their compact sedan, the ICE agent, wearing a black vest marked with "Police" on the front and "Federal Agent" in smaller letters on the back, called what Mack said was ICE's 24-hour information center in Vermont.

As in the other stops, it took about 15 minutes for the agent to confirm the suspect's immigration status and criminal record.

ICE agents determined the man, Javier Barrera, 24, was in the country illegally and had been convicted in the past of drunken driving, Carter said.

Carter said police ticketed Barrera for violations that included driving without a license, and impounded his car.

ICE agents took the man into custody, Carter said. He said agents did not investigate the woman or child's immigration status because they had not violated any laws.

A police officer gave them a ride home.

"Without ICE, we'd probably ticket him and let him leave," Carter said. "But now, because of ICE, a prior DUI conviction means he gets deported and we might be able to avoid another DUI or other crimes in the future."

A man police identified as Antelmo Covarrubias, 24, was stopped about 9:50 p.m. in the 900 block of North Quince Street, Carter said.

He said officers contacted Covarrubias on suspicion of soliciting prostitution.

He said the man did not have identification or speak much English.

ICE agents determined Covarrubias was in the country illegally and was on probation, Carter said.

It wasn't immediately clear if police would take him into custody on suspicion of soliciting prostitution and violating his probation, or whether ICE would take him into custody, Carter said.

"He doesn't have identification, so we're not 100 percent sure he is who he says he is," Carter said. "So either we or ICE will take him into custody, get fingerprints, and ICE can use that information to help us figure out who he is, and then we'll go from there."

Source - http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/b6ed94d3-24c0-56c7-8b0f-023b8a702c23.html

Palm Beach - 5 illegal aliens arrested still wet from the ocean

Police arrest five men after coming ashore in Palm Beach

PALM BEACH — Five illegal immigrants were taken into custody after police found them walking down the road this morning in Palm Beach, police said.

The five men were wet and barefoot when they were stopped by police walking near North County Road and Atlantic Avenue shortly after 6 a.m., said Palm Beach Police Capt. Frank Hess.

Police believe three of them are from Turkey and the other two are from the Bahamas, Hess said. U.S. Border Patrol agents were called in and took custody of all five men. One of them was also found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana, Hess said.

Officers searched the island and found a boat registered in the Bahamas that police believe the men abandoned after they came ashore in the 1400 block of Ocean Boulevard near the Lake Worth Inlet, Hess said.

Source - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/police-arrest-five-men-after-coming-ashore-in-1010851.html?cxtype=rss_news

harry reid promises illegal aliens amnesty for votes

Reid Promises Immigration Vote After Election

Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader fighting to hold his seat in Nevada, said on a taped television appearance on Sunday he planned to bring legislation that would create a path for some illegal immigrants to gain legal status to a vote in the post-election session of Congress.

The move may thrust the issue of immigration into the heart of the political debate in the hours leading to Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Mr. Reid announced his intentions on Univision’s “Al Punto,” a Spanish-language political talk show. His appearance was a pitch to Nevada’s Hispanic voters as he fights for re-election against Sharron Angle, a Tea Party-backed Republican with whom he is essentially tied in polls. Immigration is a dominant issue in the Nevada Senate race. And Hispanics, who turned out in droves to help elect President Obama in 2008, could give an edge to Mr. Reid.

The legislation, called the Dream Act, would grant conditional permanent residency to illegal immigrant students and illegal immigrants who agree to serve in the military.

“I have the right to bring that up any time I want; that’s why I brought it up the first time. I am a believer in our needing to do something,” Mr. Reid said in the interview, which was taped Thursday in Las Vegas.

Mr. Reid said he would bring the measure to the floor in the lame-duck session regardless of the election’s outcomes.

To pass, the measure would require some Republican support, which seems unlikely. A previous version of the Dream Act failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate in 2007. The measure was attached to a defense authorization bill in September 2010 but Republicans (with one Democrat) blocked the legislation.

“I just need a handful of Republicans, Mr. Reid said. “I would settle for two or three Republicans to join with me on the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform, but they have not been willing to step forward.”

Mr. Reid echoed Mr. Obama in placing part of the responsibility over a stalled overhaul of immigration laws on Senator John McCain. Mr. McCain, the Arizona Republican, had been a leading proponent of an immigration overhaul with former Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

“As a result of his unwillingness to help, we have not had a single Republican offer to help us with comprehensive immigration reform,” Mr. Reid said of Mr. McCain. “The system is broken and all they want to do is demagogue the issue.”

Recently, an ad for Ms. Angle characterized Mr. Reid as “the best friend an illegal alien ever had,” a label Mr. Reid said was “totally without fact our foundation.”

Asked about his re-election campaign, Mr. Reid said it was “doing just fine.” He added that it was “pretty clear” that Democrats would hold on to the Senate after the election.

“How many the numbers will be, we’ll have to decide that on Nov. 3, but we feel comfortable,” Mr. Reid said.

Source - http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/reid-promises-immigration-vote-after-election/?hp

obama is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda

Obama is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda, says Colorado governor candidate

President Barack Obama is a bigger threat to the United States than Al Qaeda or terrorism, Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo has claimed.

The former Congressman made the comments while campaigning in Canon City Tuesday.

Tancredo said that Obama posed a threat to the Constitution, saying: 'It's not Al Qaeda, it's the guy sitting in the White House.'

Tancredo also said he believes Obama and Democratic Colorado gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper are 'kindred spirits.'

Tancredo has a reputation for controversial comments, including a suggestion that the United States bomb Islam's holy sites if attacked by nuclear weapons.

The former Republican congressman is running on the American Constitution Party ticket.

Tom Tancredo is quick to admit he brings plenty of baggage to the Colorado governor's race.

He once called Miami a 'Third World country.'

During President George W Bush's administration, he got thrown out of the White House for suggesting Bush was soft on illegal immigration.

And he once refused to take part in a presidential debate because it was on a Spanish-language network.

Source - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1324879/Obama-bigger-threat-US-Al-Qaeda-says-Tom-Tancredo.html

Sanctuary City - Escondido, CA - illegal aliens are mad over DUI checkpoints

Escondido back in illegal immigration spotlight

A special arrangement between federal agents and Escondido law enforcement has thrust the increasingly Latino city back into the illegal-immigration spotlight.

Police Chief Jim Maher calls the full-time placement of three Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at police headquarters an important crime-fighting tool. He said the goal is to make Escondido as unfriendly as possible to illegal border crossers who have criminal records, including previous deportations.

Maher’s critics said the chief’s hard line has sent a chilling message to the entire Latino community, which is dominated by Mexicans and is now the largest ethnic group in Escondido. Many contend that the city’s sobriety checkpoints are a guise for intimidating the undocumented, who are barred from getting a driver’s license in California. They also worry that Escondido’s close cooperation with ICE, a pilot project that’s the first of its kind in the state and perhaps the country, could become permanent and expand.

Implicit in these complaints is the belief that illegal immigrants should be able to live peacefully, find employment and eventually gain permanent residency in the United States.

The Escondido controversy reflects some of the thorniest issues in the national debate about immigration reform. Certain organizations push for tougher measures against illegal immigrants, while others want Congress to grant them a path to citizenship. In various speeches and its immigration lawsuit against Arizona, the Obama administration has aimed for a balancing act — upholding laws against the undocumented while trying to be humane and to not antagonize key nations such as Mexico.

Escondido attracted national attention in 2006 with its failed attempt to punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. The city has a policy against giving sanctuary to illegal immigrants or leaving immigration matters to federal authorities alone.

The street demonstrations that greeted the rental ordinance are back, this time near the police sobriety checkpoints. On Oct. 23, for example, about 30 people gathered a few blocks ahead of one checkpoint to warn motorists, who detoured onto alternate streets or parked their vehicles to wait out the screening.

Maher condemned such protests as irresponsible. He said they undermine his department’s moderate and pragmatic campaign to keep the city safe.

“There are folks in this community that feel that if we know someone is in the country illegally, just in the country illegally, we should take action,” said Maher, who rose through the Escondido police ranks over three decades. “That certainly would make law enforcement in this community more difficult, if our illegal immigrant community felt that every time they called the police department ... we would simply turn them over to the Border Patrol.”

At nearly every turn, from community forums to private meetings with the Mexican consul in San Diego, Maher stresses that Escondido isn’t interested in the immigration status of lawful residents.

“There are known criminals who would be allowed to stay in most communities. (They) will not be able to stay in Escondido,” he said. “And if they do choose to come back to the country, they won’t choose to come back to Escondido.”

Skeptics point out that immigrants with orders to leave the country aren’t necessarily criminals.

“The chief of the Escondido police likes to paint a picture like these deportation orders are a warrant, and they’re not,” said Bill Flores, a former assistant sheriff for San Diego County who is active with the Latino-rights organization El Grupo. “Most local law-enforcement agencies don’t do that because they don’t want to be viewed as immigration officers alienating the Latino community.”

Civil-liberties activists said the collaboration between Escondido and ICE has no written standards, raising the potential for racial profiling and other abuses.

“Any officer with a bone to pick can slip someone’s name in the ICE officers’ mailbox for scrutiny,” said Kevin Keenan, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in San Diego.

Escondido police and ICE officials stress that they don’t go after illegal immigrants unless they have a criminal record or previous deportation order. Verification is difficult because the agencies said they don’t keep applicable records.

For several years, a federal immigration officer has worked out of the Escondido Police Department on an anti-gang task force.

In May, two more ICE officers were assigned to the department for a pilot program dubbed “Operation Joint Effort.” The initiative is tailored to a recent federal push to remove illegal immigrants who pose a danger to public safety or national security and those who re-enter the U.S. after being deported, said Robin Baker, director of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office in San Diego.

One hallmark of his agency’s national campaign is Secure Communities, a system for screening suspects against Homeland Security immigration records as they’re booked into local jails, including those in San Diego County.

ICE has gone a step further in Escondido. Its officers respond almost as soon as the city’s officers spot an illegal immigrant they suspect was already convicted or deported.

“It institutionalizes cooperation between locals and federal agents where they’re located together and they’re able to build rapport,” said Jessica Vaughan with the Center for Immigration Studies, an advocate for greater immigration enforcement and controls.

Operation Joint Effort has led to 176 arrests since May. Most of the detainees had criminal records, including illegal immigrants with prior convictions for auto theft, weapons violations and child-sex crimes. Thirty-three of those arrested didn’t have criminal histories but had been ordered out of the country by an immigration judge.

Mexico’s top diplomat for the San Diego region went to Escondido this month to find out more about police checkpoints and the partnership with ICE. Consul Remedios Gómez Arnau also spoke to Mexican nationals in the area about their basic rights.

“They feel very anxious knowing about these checkpoints and that it is hurting people from the Latino community,” she said.

At 19 state-funded checkpoints in Escondido in fiscal year 2010, there were 474 citations against unlicensed drivers and 41 arrests for driving under the influence. Unlicensed drivers can have their vehicles impounded for up to 30 days, and fines and fees can be as much as $1,300.

“I want the Police Department to be able to serve and protect everyone in our community no matter what their status,” said Carmen Miranda, a City Council candidate who has helped mobilize protesters at the checkpoints. She has videotaped police officers at close range as they issue citations and make arrests.

“As long as people don’t get into any criminal activity and they’re just working, their immigration status should not be an issue,” Miranda said.

Among California cities its size, Escondido has the second-worst record for traffic accidents resulting in death or injuries in which alcohol was involved. The Office of Transportation Safety funds most of Escondido’s checkpoints and treats driver’s license checks as an integral part of DUI enforcement.

“It undoubtedly affects those who are not able to legally get a license,” said Chris Cochran, spokesman for the state agency. “But that is a matter for the Legislature to take up.”

Source - http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/31/escondido-back-illegal-immigration-spotlight/

illegal aliens get work faster than Americans

Foreign-born workers find employment faster

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. -- Javier Gonzalez believes he would have a job today were it not for illegal immigration.

"I think that illegal immigrants do take jobs away from native workers, especially out here in the (San Francisco) Bay Area," said the 43-year-old son of Mexican immigrants. "I'm unemployed, but I shouldn't have to be. I'm from the area. I was born here, and I can't get a job here."

For the jobless, especially those who work in the trades, the thought of competing against an illegal work force of undocumented immigrants can be a sore point. Labor market economists have long differed about whether such fears are grounded in reality.

But a study released Friday by the Pew Hispanic Center adds fuel to the fire, finding that as the economy slowly recovers, foreign-born workers are taking up jobs faster than their native-born counterparts. Immigrants, both legal and illegal, gained 656,000 jobs since June 2009, which is the month that federal economists consider to be the end of the Great Recession. Native-born workers lost 1.2 million jobs in the same period of economic recovery, according to the report.

"There are some reasonable explanations," said Rakesh Kochhar, associate research director of the nonpartisan think tank. "I think the main one would be that the recession started earlier for foreign-born workers. They were hit hard earlier in the recession. Now, it seems they are bouncing back quicker."

The study does not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants because such data is not available, but unauthorized workers are undoubtedly a big part of the picture, Kochhar said.

Immigrants who come to the United States with limited job skills and educational backgrounds are typically the most vulnerable when there are volatile changes in the job market, he said. They also, however, tend to be more flexible in a bad economic environment, willing to move from one region or occupation to another.

"They are more sensitive to the business cycle," Kochhar said. "They get hit harder, but they bounce back sooner."

Because they are denied unemployment insurance, undocumented workers are also more desperate to take whatever job they can find, even if the work is sporadic and earns them a low wage. The study found that though immigrants found more jobs in the past year, they were not doing much better financially -- the median weekly earnings of immigrants dropped 4.5 percent since summer 2009, while remaining relatively steady for U.S.-born workers.

Several variables affected the results, including the loss of thousands of temporary census jobs in the spring and summer. This disproportionately affected U.S.-born workers, because illegal immigrants are disqualified from jobs in the federal government.

The stagnant construction industry accounted for more than half the 1.2 million jobs lost by native-born workers. It was also the sector that saw the starkest difference between foreign-born and U.S.-born workers, especially among those who identify themselves as Latino.

Latino immigrants gained 98,000 construction jobs from 2009 to 2010, but Latinos who were born in the United States lost 133,000 construction jobs in the same period, along with 92,000 jobs in transportation, warehousing, wholesale and retail trade.

The study may help confirm and challenge beliefs of those who hold strong views on immigration, but Kochhar cautioned against drawing easy conclusions.

"There are so many things, really, that we don't know," he said.

Born in San Francisco, Gonzalez attended community college to obtain a communication degree, paying out of his own pocket, but couldn't really find a job in that field. His father was a migrant farmworker who moved to California from Mexico in the 1950s, though Gonzalez is not sure how he was able to get in.

"He's never really given me the exact story, the details of what path he took," Gonzalez said.

The majority of his American family members went into municipal trash collection. Gonzalez has also spent years working in labor-intensive jobs, but today finds most of those jobs unavailable. He considers illegal immigration a chief culprit, though he says finding a constructive solution is difficult.

Gonzalez is not alone in his thinking.

Another study released by the Pew Hispanic Center on Thursday found that Latinos, though traditionally sympathetic to the challenges faced by illegal immigrants, have increasingly mixed feelings about the issue.

The national survey of about 1,400 Latino adults found that just 29 percent felt that illegal or undocumented immigration had a positive impact on Latinos already living in the United States. In contrast, half of those who took a similar survey three years ago said the impact of illegal immigrants was positive.

Source - http://www.azdailysun.com/business/42c0869c-ec44-5ce4-b033-274b23e2af67.html

McAllen - Chief Victor Rodriguez, "illegal aliens rob and victimize our community at will."

Confessions shed light on purported Gulf Cartel carjacking ring in McAllen

McALLEN — Confessions given by suspects arrested in a recent carjacking ring suggest the alleged robbers are targeting luxury vehicles ordered by Gulf Cartel members in Reynosa.

The Monitor obtained copies of the confessions from McAllen police officials this week.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said more arrests are pending in the case, which involves at least two carjackings in McAllen and Mission, and one in Edinburg.

"It’s troubling that again we are dealing with illegal aliens, ones arrested two or three months ago and they are back again," the chief said. "They rob and victimize our community at will."

CARJACKING CONFESSIONS

Fulgencio Buck Gonzalez turned himself in to McAllen police Oct. 19, after he said his wife saw his mugshot on a local TV broadcast.

The 39-year-old Hidalgo resident told investigators his wife showed up at their house with Edgar Quezada Luna on Oct. 14.

Luna asked Gonzalez to drive a Mercedes SUV to Reynosa to deliver it to a Mexican national who could not cross into the U.S., according to Gonzalez’s confession.

Gonzalez said he took the vehicle to Plaza de Las Americas in Reynosa, where he was waved down by an unknown man. After surrendering the vehicle, he walked home. Gonzalez claims he turned down the $100 that Luna offered for his help.

Gonzalez made no mention to police of knowing the vehicle was stolen, although he said he had made similar vehicle deliveries for Luna in the past.

The black Mercedes Benz SUV had been taken at gunpoint the night before at the 1400 block of West Houston Avenue, court records show.

Luna told investigators he was arrested by McAllen police in August and deported to Mexico. Claiming to have contacts within the Gulf Cartel, the 20-year-old Luna acknowledged that he returned to the U.S. illegally earlier this month.

Luna said he had been working at an area used car lot, buying used vehicles at auction. The night of the carjacking, he told police a man he knows said the Gulf Cartel had kidnapped his brother because of money he owed for drugs.

"He told me the cartel was asking for some vehicles and that I needed to help him or my brother was going to be killed," Luna said in the confession.

Luna’s contact picked him up from a south McAllen motel "to go for a ride," his confession states.

The pair rode around downtown McAllen, until they found the black Mercedes Benz heading south on 17th Street. They followed the SUV onto Houston Avenue, where Luna said they passed it and stopped in the middle of the street.

Luna told investigators he hopped out and tapped on the Mercedes’ window with a plastic toy gun. A woman and two male passengers were inside.

"I told her to get out," Luna told police. "She opened the door and I put the gun to her stomach and told her once again to get out of the vehicle."

The two men got out, as well. Luna got into the Mercedes, but did not know how to shift it into drive. One of his associates came to help him, Luna said, before taking the SUV to his house in Hidalgo.

Luna offered a similar confession to an August carjacking of a white BMW sport utility vehicle in McAllen, as well. Luna said the Gulf Cartel also ordered that vehicle and that Gonzalez delivered it to Reynosa.

Police arrested Luna after Gonzalez identified him to investigators.

‘NOBODY SEEMS TO CARE’

Rodriguez, the McAllen chief, said the apparent cartel order to take vehicles from the drivers with force is "one way that they will end up with an unblemished vehicle." Most high-end vehicles have enhanced security features that make them more difficult to steal without the keys.

"That is a dangerous trend which is made very troublesome that, by their own admission, they are acting by order of the cartels,’ he said. "We are fortunate these robberies have not led to greater violence or death at this point."

Still, the chief pointed to nine hours that passed from when the Mercedes was stolen at gunpoint and when it actually crossed the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.

The chief criticized state and federal authorities’ lack of response to the problem of stolen vehicles heading into Mexico — as many as 80 percent of autos stolen head south of the border, he said — adding that "nobody seems to care."

"We have no deterrence at our points of exit," Rodriguez said. "They are expressways to Mexico. And no one seems to listen or care — not state officials, not federal officials.

"Not listening is tolerable. But not caring is bothersome."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials did not respond to a formal request for comment this week.

A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said in an e-mail that the agency "agrees that more emphasis needs to be placed on southbound inspections."

"The Port of Entry crossings are under the control of Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, and local law enforcement agencies can assist our federal partners when invited," the statement reads.

DPS also pointed to overtime grants given through Operation Border Star, which can be used for southbound vehicle inspections by local law enforcement.

Rodriguez, for his part, said he believes state officials feel the U.S.-Mexico border is in Falfurrias, not here.

"Their view of the border plan is in Falfurrias," the chief said. "I’m sorry, but the border is 50 miles south of there."

Source - http://www.themonitor.com/news/light-44067-mcallen-ring.html

Las Cruces - 56-year-old illegal alien indicted on several sex crimes including rape and incest

Mexican immigrant is indicted in rape of child relative

LAS CRUCES - A 56-year-old undocumented immigrant and convicted drug trafficker was indicted on charges he raped and molested a child in his family over a period of eight years.



Federal agents found David Juarez Carbajal in Houston in September. He has been in the Do a Ana County Detention Center since Oct. 10 on a $100,000 cash-only bond, according to the jail.

A Do a Ana County grand jury formally charged him Thursday with 27 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child younger than 13; 18 counts of incest; and one count each of molestation and attempted molestation.

The molestation began when the victim was 4 or 5 when she was taken to visit Carbajal in Las Cruces, she told detectives in September, according to court records. Because she was scared, she didn't tell anyone as he continued to seek her out and continue the alleged molestation and rape throughout elementary school, she said. Other young relatives tried to keep her away from Carbajal, but they told detectives the man intimidated them, and they stayed silent.

The alleged abuse only stopped when Carbajal was arrested on unrelated charges three years ago, the victim said.

A contract field worker born in San Luis Potos , in central Mexico, Carbajal was arrested in 1990 and charged with fondling a child in El Paso, but that charge was dismissed in 1992, according to court records.

Four years later, Carbajal was convicted in El Paso of trafficking more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana. He was sentenced to 10 years probation and 320 hours of community service, court records state.

As a convicted felon, Carbajal faces mandatory prison time if convicted on the most recent charges. He is also being detained on federal charges of illegal re-entry, according to the jail.

Source - http://www.lcsun-news.com/dona_ana_news/ci_16481180?source=rss

Edinburg - illegal alien charged with capital murder

Man charged with capital murder in Edinburg slaying

EDINBURG — A Mexican national was charged with capital murder Saturday after being released from the hospital.

Jose Guadalupe Alvarado, originally of Monterrey, Mex., was charged in connection with the Friday shooting death of Carlos Correa in the 2200 block of Mojave Street.

According to a criminal complaint, Alvarado and two other men attempted to kick in Jesus Correa’s apartment door when the initial shots were fired by the three men.

Jesus Correa, Carlos Correa’s brother, grabbed his own handgun from a kitchen drawer and began returning fire at the group. He then realized his brother had been shot and attempted to get him help. Carlos Correa was transported to McAllen Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Alvarado was treated at Edinburg Regional Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his left arm. He was then taken into police custody.

The criminal complaint states that Alvarado provided a statement telling police he and the others had planned to rob Jesus Correa’s apartment because they believed he had marijuana stored there.

A 16-year-old was also treated for a gunshot wound at McAllen Medical Center, but has not been formally charged in connection with the shooting, Interim Police Chief Peter De La Garza said.

“That case will be referred to juvenile court,” he said.

Alvarado was also charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. Alvarado was arraigned Saturday in Edinburg Municipal Court and his bond was set at $1.5 million on all three charges. He could face a sentence of death or life in prison if convicted of capital murder.

Source - http://www.themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-44053-murder-slaying.html

Raymondville - Entire family of illegal aliens arrested for selling crack cocaine from their home

Police: Family sold drugs out of home

RAYMONDVILLE — A narcotics investigation by Raymondville police led to the arrests of four family members earlier this week on charges that they sold crack cocaine out of their home near a local elementary school, police said.

Officers raided the house of Beatrice De Los Santos, 63, in the 300 block of South 8 Street Tuesday, Raymondville Police Det. Andres Maldonado said, finding crack cocaine inside her bedroom.

Police arrested De Los Santos, her son Juan De Los Santos, 47, and her two grandsons Joey Garcia, 30, and Edward Lee Torres, 24, Maldonado said.

An investigation showed that the family members had been selling the drugs out of their home about 100 feet away from nearby Pittman Elementary School, Maldonado said.
All four were charged with possession of a controlled substance in a drug free zone, a first-degree felony, Maldonado said.

Source - http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/police-83011-raymondville-sold.html

GOP senators ask how much funding needed to oust all illegal aliens

GOP senators ask how much funding needed to oust all illegal immigrants

WASHINGTON — Signaling another partisan fight over immigration enforcement after next week's midterm elections, all seven Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee signed a letter last week asking the Department of Homeland Security how much money it needs to deport every illegal immigrant the government encounters.

The request came in an Oct. 21 letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and asks her to "detail exactly how much funding" would be needed "to ensure that enforcement of the law occurs consistently for every illegal alien encountered and apprehended."

The Republican senators requested a response by Nov. 15, two weeks after the midterm elections.

The Obama administration, which in its first full year in office set a record for U.S. deportations, wants to continue its policy of focusing law enforcement resources on securing the border, bolstering the Border Patrol and deporting dangerous and violent offenders in the U.S. illegally. At the same time, the president supports legislative reforms that would create a path to legal status for longtime residents who meet specific criteria.

Republicans on key oversight committees in Congress favor a more uniform enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, whether the offender is someone who crossed the border and committed a violent crime or a grandmother who is pulled over by police for speeding after living in the U.S. for years.

In an election cycle that has inflamed the debate, Republicans in leadership positions have been reluctant to endorse a potential path to legal status for any of the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

An Obama administration official responded that the zero-tolerance approach suggested in the senators' letter is more political theater than a realistic plan for solving the nation's illegal-immigration problem.

"This isn't about doing this job better in the end. This is about scoring political points, which is exactly what's wrong with the immigration debate right now," said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the political debate.

The GOP letter came in response to directives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, including an Aug. 20 memo in which Morton requested that U.S. attorneys consider dismissing immigration cases against people who have a green-card application pending and are likely to be approved.

A subsequent temporary spike in dismissals in Houston, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, caught the attention of Republican lawmakers.

The senators' letter to Napolitano contends that the government is routinely dismissing cases against illegal immigrants who have no felony convictions and "no more than two misdemeanors," and says the practice "raises serious questions about your department's commitment to enforce the immigration laws."

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking GOP member of the Judiciary Committee, is concerned that the deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants who have committed additional crimes have been dismissed.

Source - http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_16473528?source=rss

Video - Phoenix, AZ - 8 illegal aliens arrested with illegal firearms & bulletproof vests

Officers find possible home-invasion crew in Phoenix



A traffic stop led state and local officials to a small arsenal of weapons in a west Phoenix trailer park Friday afternoon.

Based on the type of armored vests discovered in the home, along with a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a local law-enforcement agency's special-operations unit, investigators speculate that they could have stumbled upon a home-invasion crew.

Eight men were in custody and being processed at a Department of Public Safety station in central Phoenix following the arrests. Investigators have not determined how many of the men will face state charges. DPS detectives in the gang- and immigration-enforcement unit known as IIMPACT believe all the suspects entered the country from Mexico without proper documentation.

The investigation began to unfold just before noon Friday when a Phoenix police officer made a traffic stop near 67th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

The officer began questioning the driver after noticing hidden compartments in the vehicle. The investigation led police to a trailer park in the 6400 block of West Van Buren Street.

Officers contacted two men outside a trailer home and called out another five from inside the brown single-wide trailer, all of whom cooperated with the investigation without resistance, said DPS Capt. Fred Zumbo, who is assigned to the IIMPACT task force.

When officers went inside the trailer, they found ammunition, a pair of rifles, a shotgun, handguns and two armored vests outfitted with ceramic plates, which can be used to stop shots fired from rifles.

Although the trailer contained telltale signs of a home-invasion crew, Zumbo hesitated to directly link the men to the drug cartels that have plagued Mexico with violence.

Instead, he compared the group to independent contractors.

"They're workers. I liken them to terrorist cells," Zumbo said. "Certainly, they are doing work for the cartels."

Source - http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/10/30/20101030phoenix-home-invasion-crew-arrested.html

El Mirage - 2 illegal alien thieves steal $20K worth of merchandise from Walmart

El Mirage police arrest pair in theft of $20,000 in merchandise

El Mirage police credit Walmart officials in the arrest of a couple the retailer suspects stole $20,000 of merchandise from Valley stores in a seven-month spree.

El Mirage Detective Robert Peoples said employees of the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer spent months laying the groundwork of an investigation that led to the Oct. 15 arrest of 30-year-old Olegario Villegas and 27-year-old Crystle Roksa.

Peoples said the retailer involved seven other law-enforcement agencies, including the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and police in cities across the Valley, including Glendale and Peoria.

He said Walmart's "asset protection agents" uncovered the operation and did much of the groundwork by collecting surveillance tapes and police-report case numbers from the other cities.

"They did a great job," he said. "They put it all together."

Walmart officials declined to disclose details concerning the matter on Monday, saying they didn't want to impede the police.

"What I can tell you is we take theft in our stores very seriously and, as a company, are committed to taking appropriate measures to prevent it," Walmart spokesman Dan Fogleman said in an e-mail.

"We have security measures in place to deter criminal activities and have been successful in identifying people who break the law and steal from our stores."

Peoples said the couple, who were arrested at the Walmart at 12900 W. Thunderbird Road on suspicion of burglary and possession of burglary tools, took their children on the criminal excursions.

The kids, who range in age from 8 months to 8 years, simply tagged along and did not participate, he said.

El Mirage Assistant Police Chief Steven Campbell said family members took the children into their care after police arrested the parents.

He said the details about the shoplifting, including the value of the merchandise and the number of stores where the shoplifting occurred, came from Walmart officials.

Source - http://www.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/2010/10/30/20101030el-mirage-police-arrest-walmart-shoplifters.html

Texas Rangers arrest 2 illegal aliens for cattle theft

Rangers Round Up Two More Suspected Central Texas Cattle Rustlers

CENTERVILLE (October 29, 2010)-- A 44-year-old Central Texas ranch manager and the 24-year-old common law wife of a man charged earlier with cattle theft have been arrested in separate incidents of cattle rustling, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association said Friday.

TSCRA special rangers arrested Sergio Flores, 44, Friday after he was indicted Wednesday for cattle theft by the Leon County Grand Jury.

Flores, who worked as a ranch manager, is charged in the theft of three head of cattle from his employer.

The stolen cattle, which were branded with the victim's brand, were returned to the owner.

"We were able to track down these cattle quickly because they were branded with the victim's brand," said Special Ranger Brent Mast.

"If you are a rancher, make sure your cattle are branded and that brand is registered with the county."

Ashley Nelson, 24, of Marquez was arrested Friday in connection with cattle theft cases involving her common law husband and his mother.

She’s charged in the theft of six head of cattle along with Rosario Carrizales, 53, who was arrested this summer.

Jose Guadalupe Carrizales, 26, was arrested in connection with the theft of one head of cattle from the same rancher in March.

Nelson is the common-law wife of Jose Carrizales, the TSCRA said.

Source - http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Rangers_Round_Up_Two_More_Suspected_Central_Texas_Cattle_Rustlers_106349194.html

San Antonio - An illegal alien kills 3 illegal aliens in a car crash

Man Convicted In Texas Crash That Killed 3 Illegal Immigrants

SAN ANTONIO (October 29, 2010)—A man from El Salvador has pleaded guilty to charges in a chase in 2008 that led to a wreck in San Antonio and the deaths of three suspected illegal immigrants.

Marcos Elias Guevara-Rodriguez pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants for profit, resulting in death.

Guevara-Rodriguez, 21, faces as much as 15 years in prison.

When he’s released, he’ll be deported.

Sentencing is scheduled in February in U.S. District Court in San Antonio.

Investigators said a Natalia police officer and a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper attempted to stop two vehicles suspected of transported illegal immigrants.

One of them, a stolen car driven by Guevara-Rodriguez, crashed.

The other driver also pleaded guilty in the case and faces sentencing in January.

Source - http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Man_Convicted_In_Texas_Crash_That_Killed_3_Illegal_Immigrants_106304448.html

Russell Pearce's bid to join the Arizona immigration lawsuit is denied

Pearce's bid to join immigration lawsuit is denied

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request by the chief sponsor of Arizona's new immigration law to be a party in the federal government's legal challenge to the law.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton also denied requests by Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever and former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack to intervene in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit.

State Sen. Russell Pearce, Dever and Mack wanted their lawyers to defend the law.

Bolton explains in a ruling issued on Thursday that Gov. Jan Brewer's lawyers are already mounting a defense of the law.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Monday in Brewer's appeal of a ruling by Bolton that blocked enforcement of the most controversial parts of the law.

Source - http://www.yourwestvalley.com/valleyandstate/article_a9f18d24-e3a2-11df-9756-001cc4c03286.html

NY - illegal alien arrested after car crash

Deputies catch illegal immigrant in Seneca

Seneca, N.Y. — Ontario County deputies took an illegal immigrant into custody Friday morning after a vehicle crash in the Town of Seneca.

Deputies said Agustin Izaguirre-Lopez, 40, of 4275 Route 21 South, Canandaigua, crashed the vehicle on Riland Road in Seneca and then left the scene. When he was found at about 2:20 a.m., deputies discovered that he entered the United States illegally.

Izaguirre-Lopez was taken into custody and turned over to the United States Border Patrol.

Source - http://www.mpnnow.com/topstories/x1272817524/Deputies-catch-illegal-immigrant-in-Seneca

Gaston County - $1 million dollar bond set for illegal alien drug trafficker

Police say a man who may have entered the country illegally was involved in cocaine trafficking.



Eusebio Salado Marin, 22, of Charlotte, was booked into Gaston County Jail on Thursday under a $1 million bond on three counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement put a hold on Marin's release pending an outcome into an investigation into his immigration status.

Marin possessed more than one ounce of cocaine, but less than 200 grams of cocaine, on three occassions, including twice on Oct. 28, and on Oct. 13, according to a warrant taken out by Gastonia Police. On July 16, Marin had 14 grams of cocaine that he intended to sell, according to another warrant.

Source - http://www.gastongazette.com/news/cocaine-52075-marin-trafficking.html

NPR reports story on private prisons business plan to lock up illegal aliens

NPR reports story on private prisons business plan to lock up illegal immigrants

PHOENIX -- The architect of the state's tough new immigration law is branding as fiction a report by National Public Radio that claims the private prison industry was a driving force behind the bill.

Laura Sullivan, in a report broadcast Thursday, said these private prison companies "had a plan, a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. That plan by Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, she said, was sculpted in a closed-door meeting last December at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

"And the plan became Arizona's immigration law,'' Sullivan reported.

But Pearce said the report ignored a host of key points.

One threshold issue is that what came out of that ALEC meeting is not what eventually was signed into law as SB 1070. There were several changes made before it was signed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

There also is the fact that the official position of ALEC is not to support private prisons but instead to find alternatives to incarceration to save money.

But Pearce said the big problem is what was missing.

Sullivan specifically said that Pearce, before taking his idea to the floor of the House, he "first took it to a hotel conference room.''

What wasn't mentioned, Pearce said, is the history of the issue.

"I've introduced this bill in '05, '06, '07, '08, 09 and 2010,'' Pearce said.

Those bills are not identical to what is in SB 1070.

But Pearce sponsored legislation last year to forbid public officials from limiting the ability of police officers to question or detain suspected illegal immigrants. Another 2009 bill would make any illegal immigrant in Arizona guilty of the state crime of trespass.

Both are key elements of what eventually became SB 1070.

In fact, his sponsorship of these issues goes back even further: Pearce had legislation in 2003 requiring police who arrest someone who is suspected of being an illegal immigrant to attempt to verify their legal status and notify the state attorney general and what was at the time the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, the precursor to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

And a comprehensive bill with many of the same provisions actually was approved by the Legislature in 2006, only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Pearce specifically denied this is the work of lobbyists.

"I wrote this bill with the help of some good constitutional attorneys,'' Pearce continued. "Never have had a conversation with prison industry on this bill.''

He did acknowledge there were prison industry representatives present when he took the bill to ALEC last December in hopes of making a model that other states can imitate.

"They're part of a committee that I'm required to go through to get model legislation passed,'' Pearce said. "That has to be presented to the board.''

Sullivan refused to respond to specific questions about what was did -- and did not -- include in her report.

"I feel that the reporting in my story is accurate and I stand behind it,'' she said.

The NPR report on its take on the immigration law, though, has become part of the political debate less than a week before the election. Democratic party officials and candidates have seized on the story and sent out links in hopes of swaying public sentiment.

"Brewer's governing office AND campaign office are overrun with lobbyists,'' wrote party spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson. "And she is letting them run Arizona, shape our laws and control decisions that affect the lives of our hard-working citizens.''

Key provision of SB 1070 never took effect after U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton issued an injunction. That is up for review Monday before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sullivan, in her report, said the new law "could send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a way never done before.''

"And it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to private prison companies responsible for housing them,'' Sullivan said.

There are anywhere from 350,000 to 450,000 illegal immigrants in the state, depending on whose figures are believed.

Pearce said he does believe that SB 1070, if implemented, will result in more illegal immigrants being detained and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And that agency does contract with private companies to incarcerate those who are not immediately deported.

"But that's between them and ICE,'' Pearce said.

"I have nothing to do with that,'' he continued. "I don't set their policies or encourage them to do anything except enforce the law.''

The report also says SB 1070 "requires police to lock up anyone they stop who cannot show proof they entered the country legally.''

But the bill simply requires police, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of those who they alreasdy have stopped if there is "reasonable suspicion'' that person is in the country illegally. There is no mandate to make an arrest, witht the law saying police "may securely transport'' an illegal immigrant to federal custody.

The NPR report also mentions Brewer and the fact that two top advisers are former lobbyists for private prison companies. But Brewer said any suggestion that she signed SB 1070 to benefit private prisons is based on a mistaken assumption.

"NPR must be like the president or Eric Holder: They didn't read the bill,'' she said.

"(SB) 1070 doesn't cause incarceration decisions by the state government, only the federal government,'' Brewer said. "Any decisions about their public or private prisons are made by them, not Arizona.''

As to illegal immigrants being incarcerated on charges of violating a new state trespass law, Pearce said they would wind up in county jails, not in the state prison system which already contracts with private companies.

Pearce pointed out that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio already has designated a portion of his "Tent City'' jail for illegal immigrants if the law takes effect.

Source - http://www.yourwestvalley.com/topstory/article_1bd25534-e2f6-11df-ab9d-001cc4c03286.html

Harlingen - 2 illegal alien brothers arrested for burglary

Brothers arrested on charges of burglary

HARLINGEN — Officers arrested two Harlingen brothers Wednesday night charging that they had broken into nearby cars, stealing stereo equipment and GPS systems, police said.

Officers with the Harlingen Police Department’s Gang Unit tried to stop Jose De Jesus Moncivaiz, 22, and Jose Angel Moncivaiz, 27, near the 6700 block of the frontage road late Wednesday after the two were seen acting “suspicious,” police said. When police approached the two brothers, Jose De Jesus Moncivaiz ran away, police said.

One officer detained Jose Angel Moncivaiz while another officer chased and eventually caught his brother, police said. Investigators said they were able to trace a GPS system the men were carrying to a car burglary in the 100 block of Wild Olive Drive.

Police said they are still investigating whether the brothers were involved in any other car burglaries in the area.

Jose De Jesus Moncivaiz went before a Harlingen judge Thursday morning on charges of burglary of a motor vehicle and evading arrest, police said, with his bail set at $6,000. In addition, officers said they found him in possession of a crack pipe and charged him with possession of drug paraphernalia, a charge that carried a $322 fine.

Jose Angel Moncivaiz initially gave officers a false name when questioned, and, in addition to burglary of a motor vehicle charges, he now faces failure to identify charges, police said. His bail was set Thursday at $2,500, police said.

Source - http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/charges-82961-harlingen-arrested.html

PA - illegal alien gets life sentence for numerous violent crimes

Angel 'Chucho' Echevarria sentenced to life in prison for 2007 Bethlehem fatal robbery

A Philadelphia man will spend the rest of his life in prison for helping with a 2007 Bethlehem robbery that left one man dead and another wounded.

Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli today gave Angel "Chucho" Echevarria, 39, a life sentence for second-degree murder. She also sentenced him to 63-126 years in prison, to be served concurrently, on numerous other charges (listed below).

A jury convicted Echevarria last month after deliberating for five hours.

During today's sentencing hearing, he maintained his innocence and said he plans to appeal, but made no other comments.

Prosecutors claim Echevarria was one of four people who helped with the July 2007 home invasion that left James Garcia wounded and his friend Daniel Luis Rivera, of Tampa, Fla., dead.

Prosecutors claim Garcia’s estranged wife, Susan Stoll, and her then-boyfriend, Julio Lopez, planned to rob Garcia.

Garcia testified he was holding $100,000 -- prosecutors initially said it was $200,000 -- at his home in the 1000 block of Wyandotte Street because he planned to take the money to Las Vegas to buy drugs.

Prosecutors said Lopez knew Echevarria, of Philadelphia, and used Echevarria to hire the “muscle” from Philadelphia for the robbery: Hakim Abdul Wakeel and another unidentified man.

Witnesses said two black men and a Hispanic man came into Garcia’s house and were searching for the money when a gunfight broke out.

Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper said cell phone records, DNA evidence and witness testimony placed Echevarria at Garcia’s house the night of the robbery.

Echevarria was found guilty of second-degree murder; attempted murder; two counts of aggravated assault; robbery; burglary; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, robbery and burglary; four counts each of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint and terroristic threats; three counts of theft; and cruelty to animals for the shooting of Garcia’s dog the night of the robbery.

Source - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2010/10/angel_chucho_echevarria_senten.html

McAllen - An illegal alien goes to prison for 15 years for human smuggling that left 9 illegal aliens dead

McALLEN — An illegal immigrant from Mexico must serve 15 years in a U.S. prison over the deaths of nine people who drowned in a Texas smuggling attempt.

Investigators say a vehicle overturned, in August 2004, into an irrigation canal south of Pharr. The victims were El Salvadoran and Honduran nationals.

A federal judge in McAllen on Wednesday sentenced 38-year-old Jorge Hernandez-Hernandez.

Hernandez-Hernandez, during his 2009 trial, pleaded conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants. Prosecutors say he ran stash houses for illegal immigrants

Prosecutors say Hernandez-Hernandez faces deportation after he serves his prison sentence.

Source - http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/mcallen-82905-smuggler-texas.html

South Carolina - 10 new construction jobs now available thanks to state investigators

Investigators find 10 more illegal workers involved with school site

ANDERSON — State investigators have found 10 more illegal-immigrant workers employed by the construction company that was just evicted from a Pickens County school system job site. So far, those investigators have determined that at least half of the employees at Land Construction of Seneca are illegal workers.

The company, which has been doing masonry on the school system’s new career and technology center, has employed at least 15 illegal workers, according to the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Five of those workers were discovered a few weeks ago and fired, and 10 more were discovered Wednesday after state investigators were allowed access to the company’s employment records. All of the workers have been reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Company President Edward Land said Wednesday night that he has been cooperating with the state’s investigation and that laws for verifying a worker’s immigration status have changed since he hired the workers in question. He said several of those workers have been with him for more than a decade, and at least one has worked for him for 17 years.

Land’s crew was ordered off the job site on Chastain Road in Liberty after Superintendent Henry Hunt said school district officials had been told the company had “failed to provide access” to state investigators. Jim Knight, administrator of the state labor department’s Office of Immigrant Worker Compliance, said it was only after school officials acted that Land pledged to cooperate.

Knight said state investigators examined records of the company’s 24 remaining employees Wednesday. He said 13 of those workers had “permanent resident cards,” but when those cards were run through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s database, 10 of them were found to be fraudulent documents.

Knight said the company’s other 11 workers all had South Carolina drivers’ licenses, and state investigators are still reviewing those to determine whether they are legitimate.

The state labor department’s Office of Immigrant Worker Compliance has been investigating work sites in the Pickens County school district since November 2009, after receiving numerous complaints that illegal workers were being hired for construction projects.

The law, according to the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, requires a company to complete a federal employment eligibility verification form for each worker hired. Within five days of hiring a worker, a company must verify the person’s work authorization through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or verify that the worker has a valid South Carolina driver’s license or identification card.

Land said several times in an interview Wednesday that he had no means of electronically verifying a worker’s status when his employees were hired years ago. He said his company reviewed the workers’ documentation when they were hired and filed the appropriate federal forms.

He said he always paid the appropriate withholding taxes for the workers, and he wonders why, if there was a problem, the state didn’t find it and notify him years ago.

“These men have families, they have children, they have been in this community for years,” Land said. “What happens to them now?”

Changes in state law in July expanded the authority of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. It now monitors companies with fewer than 100 workers to ensure that the employees are legal workers.

By law, Land is required to fire the illegal workers. He said he has given them three days to respond to the allegations that they are illegal and to prove otherwise.

Source - http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/27/investigators-find-10-more-illegal-workers-involve/?partner=yahoo_feeds

Trempealeau - illegal alien faces 10 years for illegal re-entry

Illegal immigrant found in Trempealeau County

A federal grand jury today indicted a citizen of Mexico with illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Gilberto Manzano-Lopez, 35, was found Oct. 5 in Trempealeau County. He faces 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

Source - http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/e4e3ddc7-d6f9-5bcc-a5b1-169944a4137e.html

Quincy, IL - illegal alien arrested for sexual assault, resisting arrest, and unlawful restraint

Illegal alien arrested for sexual assault

QUINCY, ILL. -- A 21-year-old man was arrested for an alleged sexual assault against and 18-year-old Quincy woman.

Julio Florentino Hernandez-Chile was arrested after a brief foot chase with police in the Holiday Hills Subdivision.



Immigration and Customs Enforcement were also contacted because Hernandez-Chile is an illegal alien originating from Mexico.

He is facing charges of Criminal Sexual Assault, Unlawful Restraint, and Resisting a Peace Officer.

Source - http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=531920

Texas - illegal aliens & American traitors rally for amnesty

UTPA to host DREAM Act rally

EDINBURG — Students at the University of Texas Pan American invite the public to attend a rally Thursday in support of the DREAM Act, federal legislation that would help give undocumented students a path towards citizenship.

The event begins at noon on the university’s chapel lawn, next to the UTPA Student Union.

“This coalition is not just made up of students,” said J. Alex Garrido, one of the events’ main organizers. “These are business leaders and attorneys. This is a team effort to educate the community.”

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act targets undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Under the bill, those who have lived here for at least five years and graduated from a U.S. high school would be eligible to gain a path for citizenship only after demonstrating “good moral character” and completing two years of U.S. Military service or college.

“We’re clarifying some myths about the DREAM Act,” Garrido said. “For example some people think that it’s amnesty and it’s is not. It’s a pathway to citizenship, and it’s something that you work for, not something that is immediately granted to you. For six years you have to prove to the country that you are a potentially good citizen.”

Garrido is one of 602 undocumented immigrants currently enrolled at UTPA who would benefit, should the hotly disputed bill passes the U.S. Congress.

Students like Garrido cannot work legally or apply for federal financial aid to pay for their education.

“This is not about political ideologies,” he said. “It’s to show and promote the understanding that we all are human beings, and that everybody should have the right and the option to continue their education.”

All 602 students are expected to attend the event and several will share their personal stories.

Participants are encouraged to wear white to show support for the basic human right to education, Garrido said.

The rally will also feature 602 biodegradable balloons to be sent into the air — each representing an undocumented student’s dream, he said.

“They grew up in the American culture and they just want to contribute to the nation,” Garrido said about himself and others in a similar situation. “They are leaders in the community. They advocate for social change — of course limited by their current immigration status — but they have proven themselves to be college material.”

After the balloon release, supporters will march to the campus’ polling site at the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex, where those who can vote will exercise their right.

“This is to open up the eyes of the community,” Garrido said. “The DREAM Act is necessary and is the right thing to do.”

Source - http://www.themonitor.com/articles/host-43944-rally-utpa.html

Collier County - illegal alien gets away with hit and run murder

Prosecution drops case against illegal immigrant charged with killing pedestrian

COLLIER COUNTY — An illegal immigrant charged with killing a 34-year-old pedestrian during a hit and run in Immokalee in December got lucky when an eyewitness disappeared and another was deported before trial.

Assistant State Attorney Ashli Gagliardi filed a notice of nolle prosequi, dropping the case against Evaristo Lara Cruz, 24, of Immokalee. He’d faced up to five years in state prison if convicted of driving without a license and causing a death, a third-degree felony.

But Lara Cruz won’t escape punishment in the Dec. 8 death of 34-year-old Angel Manuel Toxpa: He’s being held in the Collier County jail and faces deportation to Mexico.

“We nolle prossed it because we didn’t have any ‘wheel witnesses’ to identify the defendant as the driver,” State Attorney’s Office Spokeswoman Samantha Syoen said of placing Lara Cruz at the wheel.

Lara Cruz was allegedly driving a silver Jeep Cherokee west on Tower Rentals Road that night, when it hit Toxpa, who was walking east on the north shoulder of the roadway, arrest reports say.

Lara Cruz then turned left, driving the SUV into a house, according to reports, which say he got out, only to be confronted by the victim’s brother, Salvador Manuel Toxpa.

Lara Cruz fled, but then Rosendo Iglesias, 27, of Immokalee, jumped in the Jeep and drove off. Florida Highway Patrol troopers found Lara Cruz and the Jeep at an Immokalee home in the 400 block of South Third Street.

Lara Cruz was arrested on the felony charge, in addition to leaving the scene of an accident and leaving the scene of a crash with damage to property.

Iglesias, of the 400 block of South Third Street, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The State Attorney’s Office intended to prosecute him on a third-degree felony, tampering with physical evidence.

In April, Lara Cruz pleaded guilty to careless driving, a traffic offense, his license was suspended for a year and he was fined $1,000. But the felony case couldn’t proceed.

The victim’s brother, Salvador Toxpa, disappeared after moving without leaving a forwarding address, investigators couldn’t find him, and family members didn’t know where he was.

“We searched for him for four months,” Syoen said. “He has no permanent address or phone number.”

Although prosecutors had statements from two eyewitnesses, the U.S. Constitution gives the defendant the right to confront and cross examine his accusers but that wasn’t possible so the state was forced to drop its case.

Iglesias was jailed, but deported before trial. Records show his court-appointed attorney filed a motion to release him on his own recognizance and it was granted Jan. 20. He was ordered to show up for arraignment the next month and a warrant and pickup order was issued, but he never showed up for other court hearings. In April, a judge ordered that he be arrested and held without bond.

“ICE stepped in and he was deported,” Syoen said of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials.

Source - http://www.marconews.com/news/2010/oct/26/prosecution-drops-case-illegal-immigrant-kill/?partner=yahoo_feeds

Casa Grande - illegal alien drug smuggler found dead

CASA GRANDE - The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating the homicide of a 31-year-old man who they say was known as a drug trafficker and was in the United States illegally.

On Monday night, deputies responded to reports of shots fired in the 26000 block of West Sherbundy Drive in Casa Grande.

Inside of a parked Dodge Stratus, deputies found the body of 31-year-old Roberto Raya-Ortiz. He had been shot multiple times.

Witnesses reported seeing an early-2000 model Chevrolet Impala pull up to the vehicle and then hearing shots. The suspect vehicle sped away heading west.

Relatives told investigators that Raya-Ortiz was involved in drug trafficking from Mexico and was responsible for transporting "scouts" to various locations in Pinal County.

Before he was killed, Raya-Ortiz told relatives he feared for his life because cartels felt he was "a snitch."

Raya-Ortiz is a Mexican national and was in the U.S. illegally -- relatives said he was awaiting a deportation hearing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

Source - http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/crime/alleged-drug-dealer-killed-10-26-2010

Bethlehem - illegal alien causes car accident

Driver involved in Bethlehem accident an illegal immigrant

Bethlehem police said a man who caused a crash on Eaton Avenue this morning is from Ecuador and is in the country illegally.

Wilman Sibri Quinde, 26, of the 100 block of East Goepp Street, wrecked his Honda Civic into a another car at 4:30 this morning in the 1600 block of Eaton Avenue, police allege.

Sibri Quinde ran from the site to his home, where he was found by officers, police said.

Both vehicles in the crash were severely damaged, but no one reported injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was an unidentified woman, police said.

Sibri Quinde allegedly told police that he fled the wreck because he was afraid. Police said they quickly determined Sibri Quinde was from Ecuador and was here without proper documentation. He also lacked a driver's license and vehicle registration and inspection, police said.

Sibri Quinde was charged with accidents involving property damage and other motor vehicle violations and placed in Lehigh County Prison on a deportation detainer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Source - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2010/10/driver_involved_in_bethlehem_accident.html

Video - SB 1070 Gets a Big Financial Boost

PHOENIX - The day before the election is the last big push for votes - all of the candidates are out and about, but Gov. Jan Brewer won't be in Arizona.

She'll be in a courtroom in San Francisco - and it's a brilliant move, politically.

The plans are for her to be in the courtroom at a hearing in the 9th Circuit Court of appeals the day before the elections.

Brewer says she'll be there to stand up for Arizona. She wants to personally defend the citizens of Arizona who overwhelmingly support the rule of law.

She believes the states have the right to enforce immigration laws that are consistent with federal immigration laws.

We've seen protests all summer against SB 1070, how the federal government and several organizations have filed lawsuits against it, saying our the law is illegal.

Brewer created a defense fund , so people can donate to help the state defend against these lawsuits.

Timothy Mellon, an heir to a Pittsburgh steel and banking industry, has donated $1.5 million to the defense fund.

More than 42,000 people have also contributed to the fund. Most donations are between $20 and $100 and mainly come from Arizona, California, Texas, Florida and New York.

People from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have contributed.

So far, Arizona has paid more than $441,000 in legal fees.

Source - http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/sb1070-financial-boost-10262010

El Mirage - 2 illegal aliens arrested for child abuse

El Mirage couple charged with 6 counts of child abuse

Police arrested two El Mirage residents for child abuse Sunday after officers found the couple and their six children, ages 4 to 12, living in deplorable, unhealthy conditions, police said.



At 7 p.m., officers responded to the 11500 block of Windrose Drive in reference to a threats call. Upon arrival, police contacted Sabrina Garcia, who said she had a verbal argument with her husband, Richard Garcia Jr. Police observed several small children through the window, and Sabrina Garcia allowed the officers inside the home to perform a welfare check, police said.

During the assessment of the home, police said they observed one child with cockroaches crawling on his leg. The house had a horrible odor and the carpet was reportedly black with dirt, food, trash and bugs, police said. The bedrooms were littered with food, clothes and children’s toys, which were covered with cockroaches, police said. Inside one of the bedroom closets, officers found what appeard to be a glass marijuana bong.

Officers spoke with Sabrina and Richard Garcia and asked them about the living conditions in their home. Police said the couple blamed their children for not cleaning up after themselves.

Child Protective Services took custody of the children and placed them with a family member.

Sabrina and Richard Garcia were each charged with six counts of child abuse.

Source - http://www.yourwestvalley.com/elmirage/article_3a29d7e4-e113-11df-ad90-001cc4c03286.html

Wilmington - Illegal alien kills illegal alien

An arrest has been made in a Wilmington murder that occurred on Saturday.

At 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, police were dispatched to a home in the 1100 Blk. of W. 3rd Street. Officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his head in the living room. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and released to the Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation revealed that the victim was at the home since Friday October 22, 2010 attending a party, after everyone had left on Saturday afternoon, the victim was discovered by the resident at approximately 4:40 p.m. Wilmington detectives responded to the scene and determined that both the victim and the possible suspect were in the United States illegally from Mexico.

Source - http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2010/10/25/news/doc4cc5c3eb82bd3913100492.txt

Pharr - 19-year-old illegal alien offered $200 price for sex with undercover officers

PHARR — Police arrested a 19-year-old woman who allegedly offered to have sex with two undercover officers for $200 at a bar.



Pharr police arrested Dania Ramirez Sanchez early Friday morning at Lucy's Place, 6705 S. Jackson Road, after she allegedly offered to have sex with an undercover officer and an undercover Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission agent, according to the criminal complaint in the case.

Officers said Sanchez offered to have oral sex and sexual intercourse with the two men for $200, the complaint states.

After receiving the offer, the undercover officers said they called in TABC agents, who arrested Sanchez.

Sanchez then allegedly gave a false Mexican voting credential during her arrest, the complaint states.

Sanchez was formally charged with prostitution and failure to identify Friday in Pharr Municipal Court. Bond was set at $2,000.

Telephone calls to Lucy's Place, a tavern and car wash, were not returned.

Prostitution and failure to identify are misdemeanor charges. If convicted of the most serious charge, failure to identify, she could spend up to a year in jail and face up to a $4,000 fine.

Source - http://www.themonitor.com/articles/old-43909-pharr-police.html

Sheriff - illegal alien attacks deputy with a knife. Deputy shoots illegal alien

NEAR EDINBURG — Sheriff's deputies said they shot a man who allegedly attacked them with a knife late Sunday night.

The incident occurred about 11:58 p.m. Sunday at 6609 Valero Lane near Edinburg, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said in a statement. Deputies shot Ubaldo Martinez, 41, once in the lower leg after he allegedly tried to stab another deputy about 20 minutes before at the intersection of Tower and Richardson roads.



That attempted stabbing prompted deputies to chase Martinez when he fled the scene to his residence on Valero Drive.

There, Martinez was found hiding beneath his mobile home. Deputies ordered him to come out.

Martinez crawled out from beneath the home armed with a knife and a piece of wood, deputies said. Deputies told him to drop his weapons. Martinez refused, lunging at the deputies, with one firing two gunshots. One hit Martinez in the leg.

Despite the gunshot, deputies said Martinez continued to attack deputies, tossing rocks and dirt-filled 5-gallon buckets, shattering the windshield of a sheriff's office vehicle during the confrontation.

Deputies eventually subdued Martinez and arrested him.

Investigators said Martinez is an illegal immigrant previously arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in April 2001 and April 2002. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested him for driving while intoxicated in February 2006 and July 2007.

During both DWI arrests, Martinez bonded out of jail before federal authorities flagged him as an illegal immigrant, sheriff's investigators said.

Federal authorities have flagged Martinez as an illegal immigrant, placing a detainer on him for deportation after he faces state criminal charges.

The deputy who shot Martinez has been placed on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation by the sheriff's office officer-involved shooting team and a review by the internal affairs unit, Treviño said.

Treviño refused to identify the deputies involved in the incident "until it is ascertained that their lives are not in danger from retaliation attacks," he said in a statement.

"Family members have stated that Martinez has deep hatred for police officer(s) and had threatened to kill them," the sheriff said.

Source - http://www.themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-43902-illegal-immigrant.html

Lukeville, AZ - Border Patrol seize 1,575 pounds of marijuana

LUKEVILLE, Ariz. - Border Patrol agents have seized more than 1,575 pounds of marijuana, after they find an abandoned vehicle in the Sonoran Desert near Lukeville.

Agents found 74 bundles of marijuana in the vehicle, with a street value of $1.2 million.

Agents were using a remote video surveillance system (RVSS) when they detected a vehicle driving off-road. When they approached they found the vehicle had been abandoned.

The smugglers were not located. The marijuana and vehicle were taken to the Ajo station for processing.

Source - http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/crime/border-patrol-pot-load-10-22-2010

AZ - illegal alien gets 15 years for drug trafficking

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A Mexican man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm possession in Arizona.

Prosecutors say 33-year-old Manuel Ochoa-Cota pleaded guilty in July. He was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

Ochoa-Cota was arrested on May 21, 2009, after he tried to flee a vehicle that had run off the road near Arivaca, Ariz. Inside the vehicle, authorities found 2,800 pounds of marijuana packed in 118 bales along with a fully-loaded automatic machine gun.

Source - http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/drug-trafficking-sentencing-10-22-2010

Shoeheel - Illegal alien wanted for robbery & attempted murder caught

Second robbery suspect nabbed
Shootout killed other suspect

SHOEHEEL - Authorities arrested a second suspect early Saturday morning in the robbery and shootout that occurred Friday afternoon at a country store in the Shoeheel community north of Micro.

The robbery left one man fatally shot by the store owner.

Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell declined Saturday to release the name of the man shot dead but described him as a Hispanic male who was at least 20 years old. "We are still trying to figure out who he really is," the sheriff said. "From what I understand, he was a construction worker."

Bizzell said his investigators are talking with the dead man's employers and searching for his family members.

Felipe Alejandro Ortiz, 17, was picked up without incident about 1 a.m. Saturday, walking down a road a mile or so from the scene.



Ortiz was charged with attempted murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He's being held in the county jail without bail and had his first court appearance Monday, sheriff's department spokeswoman Tammy Amaon said.

The second suspect was killed in a running gun battle Friday as he tried to rob the Shoeheel Gas, Grocery and Grill at Old Beulah and Shoeheel roads before 5:50 p.m., Bizzell said.

Store owner Donnie Creech traded gunfire with the first suspect, Amaon said.

Sheriff's deputies found the first suspect in the car dead of gunshot wounds, Bizzell said.

Bizzell said Creech, his son and two female employees in the store were uninjured.

Source - http://www.theherald-nc.com/2010/10/20/16196/second-robbery-suspect-nabbed.html

Video - Immigration 101 - Immigration 4 Dummies

Indiana - illegal alien gets 10 years for sellling cocaine

Suspected cocaine dealer pleads guilty
Illegal alien agrees to 10-year prison term

A man suspected of being a drug dealer and an illegal immigrant confessed to both allegations in court Monday.

Thirty-five-year-old Javier Serrato waived his right to a trial during a hearing Monday in Cass Superior Court II.

Serrato and four other people were arrested during a raid of two homes on Oct. 23, 2008, following a Cass County Drug Task Force investigation that recorded four controlled buys using a confidential informant. The amounts varied from 3.5 grams to 28.5 grams.

Officers also seized another 28.5 grams inside homes at 1517 George St. and 312 19th St.

In court on Monday, Serrato pleaded guilty to a single class B felony count of dealing in cocaine. He signed a plea deal that calls for 10 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.

In exchange for admitting to the offense, the Cass County prosecutor’s office agreed to reduce Serrato’s charge from a class A felony, which carries a sentencing range of 20 to 50 years.

Serrato’s public defender, Jay Hirschauer, said his client has an immigration hold, which means that Serrato would serve his prison time then be deported from the United States.

Judge Rick Maughmer said he would take Serrato’s plea agreement under advisement until sentencing, which was set for 11 a.m. Nov. 8.

Earlier this year, co-defendant Maria Cabrera, 35, took her case to trial. A jury deliberated for about 13 minutes before convicting her of a class A felony. In July, she received a 30-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction.

The case involves three other defendants — 23-year-old Siomara Figueroa, 25-year-old Martin Rafael Hernandez and 31-year-old David Hernandez.

David Hernandez was sentenced to a 30-year prison term in 2009, but the Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in April based on the claim that his legal representation at the time of the plea coerced him into the plea.

Part of the agreement called for prosecutors to drop their case against his wife, Figueroa. David Hernandez’ counsel at the appellate level, Matthew Barrett, argued that telling his client his pregnant wife would be sent to prison if he did not accept the plea deal led to an infringement of Hernandez’s rights.

Barrett failed in his attempt to have evidence suppressed. The case is still pending.

The state dismissed charges against Figueroa as well as Martin Rafael Hernandez, who was deported last year.

Source - http://pharostribune.com/local/x1416241471/Suspected-cocaine-dealer-pleads-guilty

Nashville - illegal alien who killed a father can't be punished

Police: Illegal Immigrant Responsible For Crash
Man's Legal Status Can't Be Investigated Due To Misdemeanor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Metro police suspect a man responsible for a crash that killed a father and injured his daughter is an illegal immigrant, the Channel 4 I-Team has learned. But there's nothing police can do about it.

Police said the father and daughter were riding their motorcycle on Springfield Highway. Jose Vasquez told officers he did not realize they were next to him when he changed lanes in his SUV, hitting and killing them.

Victims of the family said they're furious because police can't do anything to investigate Vasquez's legal status because he's only been charged with not having a license, a misdemeanor.

Rickey Otts Jr. said his dad managed somehow in his 59 years on this earth to leave nothing unsaid.

"There was nobody that walked the face of this earth that was more American than my dad," Otts said.

It's why Otts is now speaking up against what ended his dad's life too soon, he said.

"My father served this country, and for him to lose his life because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because somebody was behind the wheel that never should have been behind the wheel …" is wrong, Otts said.

Police and witnesses told the I-Team that Vasquez had no driver's license and no insurance. Police said they also suspect Vasquez is in this country illegally.

"The worst part about it all was seeing them walk away, seeing them be told that they could leave," said Otts.

The crash happened in the middle of the afternoon. Vasquez wasn't under the influence, police said. As far as police can tell, they said, it was an accident.

Vasquez is only charged with a misdemeanor for driving without a license, and authorities cannot check his citizenship unless charges against him become serious enough to put him in jail.

"In Nashville, our agreement with the federal government has always said (that) upon being physically arrested, brought to the jail, then your status is checked," said Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall. "At no other point can that occur."

That's frustrating for the Otts family, they said. They want the man they said killed their father to face fair but more severe consequences.

"It's a lot more than race, language barriers, jobs; it's lives, man," said Otts.

The district attorney's office is looking into whether more serious charges can be filed against Vasquez.

Tiffany Coe, Otts Sr.'s daughter, is still at Vanderbilt Hospital. She has two broken legs and a broken hip, but she is in stable condition. Otts Sr.'s funeral is Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Woodbine Funeral Home on Nolensville Road.

Source - http://www.wsmv.com/news/25444620/detail.html

AZ - Border Patrol finds 2,000 pounds of marijuana inside SUV

Ton of marijuana found near Casa Grande

TUCSON - Federal authorities say nearly 2,000 pounds of marijuana has been seized from an abandoned vehicle in the desert southwest of Casa Grande.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent spotted a suspicious vehicle driving off road Monday and says he followed a dust trail until he came upon the full-sized SUV.

The occupants had fled, but 127 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 1,990 pounds was found inside the vehicle.

The Arizona Daily Star says border agents searched for the suspects in the vehicle for two hours, but didn't find them.

Source - http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/2010/10/19/20101019arizona-pot-found-in-vehicle.html

AZ - An illegal alien pedophile gets 23 years in prison

Avondale man gets 23 years in sex-abuse case

An Avondale man convicted of multiple child sex crimes in August was sentenced to 23 years in prison and lifetime probation, Avondale police said.

Joseph Anthony Dominguez, 35, was sentenced Friday for counts of sexual conduct with a minor and attempted child molestation, according to Maricopa County Superior Court documents.



Dominguez was accused of molesting his pregnant girlfriend's daughter and running from police for months, records show.

He surrendered to Avondale police in April after being on the run since August 2009, police said.

Dominguez's girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child, reported that he had sexual contact with her daughter, then 9, the night of Aug. 24, 2009 at the Avondale home the couple shared, police said.

Court documents list additional incidents dating from March 2008.

Dominguez left the house that night and did not contact his girlfriend again, police said. She gave birth in December.

Source - http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2010/10/19/20101019avondale-man-sentenced-sex-abuse-case-brk.html

AZ - 2 illegal aliens caught breaking into a home in Casa Grande

Deputies Catch Crooks In The Act
Alert Neighbors Called 911 After Seeing Suspicious Activity

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- Deputies captured two crooks breaking into a home in Pinal County. It happened Monday in the 5900 block of North Spruce Street, Casa Grande.

Investigators say a neighbor called 911 after hearing glass break at the home next door.

Deputies responded and located Elia Triste, 21, and Jason Antone, 24, inside the home.



Deputies discovered a cut on Triste’s left hand. She told deputies that she had punched the front door so she and Antone could enter the home.

Investigators said the two had piled items they were going to steal outside the front door.

Both Triste and Antone are charged with criminal damage, burglary and trespassing.

Source - http://www.kpho.com/news/25440907/detail.html