11 Illegal Aliens Arrested After Van Runs Off Road

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A routine traffic stop lead to the arrest of 11 illegal immigrants.

Trooper Tom Barton was clearing debris off Interstate 40 near Cimarron Road when a van ran off the road, nearly hitting the cable barriers.

Trooper Barton questioned the driver and found he was smuggling 10 illegal immigrants.

"The other 10 illegals that he's smuggling will all be deported," Trooper Barton said.

The driver was also an illegal immigrant. He is being held in the Canadian County Jail for driving without a license. ICE, known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement will now handle the case.

http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10453055

Illegal Alien Trucker Kills Family

The Texas Supreme Court is being asked to overturn a multi million-dollar verdict against a large company because jurors were improperly told that the gravel truck driver who killed four family members is an illegal immigrant.

Revealing the driver’s immigration status at trail was intended to inflame jurors with prejudicial and irrelevant information, according to attorneys for the Dallas cement hauling company (TXI Transportation Co. v. Hughes). In 2002 the illegal immigrant, driving one of the company’s trucks, drifted into the opposite lane of a Ft. Worth highway and struck a sports utility vehicle occupied by five family members returning from Christmas shopping.

The family’s vehicle scraped along the truck’s side until it emerged spinning and skidding into the path of a full-size pickup, according to news reports. A one-year-old strapped to a car seat was the lone survivor. Family attorneys said the immigration information was presented in court to illustrate that the driver—previously deported and using a fake Social Security—did not have the commercial driver’s license required to operate the truck and that the company did not properly investigate his driving record.

A state appellate court upheld the jury verdict, including the mention of the driver as an illegal immigrant, and now the Texas Supreme Court will rule on the case. During oral arguments at least one Supreme Court Justice revealed that the driver’s legal status should not have been mentioned at trial.

Sarcastically claiming that “the so-called illegal immigrant is the cause of all of society’s problems” Justice David Medina believes the jury was informed of the driver’s immigration status to let it know that “we have an illegal alien over here who may have caused this horrible, horrendous accident and we want you to punish him and disregard the facts.”

For the family to keep its $15.8 million award, the majority of the Supreme Court's nine justices must find that the driver’s illegal status was in fact relevant and not simply an appeal to racial prejudice.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2009/may/illegal-immigrant-trucker-kills-family

Illegal aliens detained near Swami's Beach

ENCINITAS – Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were detained early Tuesday near Swami's Beach, and two people believed to have smuggled them into the country were arrested shortly afterward on a boat, officials said.

Sheriff's deputies and Border Patrol agents went to the beach about 5:20 a.m. after receiving a tip that several people were getting off a boat that had just come ashore.

Officials found 16 men and six women hiding in nearby brush. They weredetermined to be Mexican nationals who were in the United States illegally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said.

By the time authorities arrived, the boat used in the smuggling attempt had returned to sea, officials said. U.S. Coast Guard and customs agents with the Air and Marine Interdiction Division searched for the boat by air and sea.

Agents in an aircraft soon found a 30-foot panga, a type of boat used in Mexico for fishing, traveling south. It was stopped by agents about five miles west of Point Loma.

Two men on the boat were arrested on suspicion of immigrant smuggling, officials said. The group being detained at the beach was being processed by Border Patrol agents.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/may/26/bn26smuggle135935/

Mobile County grand jury charges illegal alien in death of woman found half-nude in Theodore ditch

MOBILE, Ala. -- An illegal alien charged with the slaying of a Georgiana, Ala. woman in the spring of 2008 was among those indicted this month by Mobile County's May grand jury.

The body of Sharon Nicole Lee, 23, was found lying half-nude in bloody water in a ditch near Interstate 10 in the Theodore area.

Prosecutors said in a court hearing later in 2008 that Carlos Guillerro Posada, a Mexican citizen in the United States illegally, allegedly cut Lee with a knife before running her over with a vehicle.

The May grand jury considered nearly 600 cases and handed down more than 400 indictments, while issuing "no bills" in 152 cases.

The grand jury also said it had found no criminal liability on the part of jail personnel in the hanging death of T. C. Harris earlier this year at the Mobile County Metro Jail.

Jurors also reported that the jail facility is housing more than 1,100 inmates in a structure designed to accommodate only 861 inmates.

http://blog.al.com/live/2009/05/may_grand_jury_report.html

Josie Bluhm, 4, Killed By Illegal Alien Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa

Josie Bluhm, a 4-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, was killed when Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa ran through a red light in his Ford truck and smashed into the side of the Bluhm family mini-van. Little Josie was ejected from the vehicle and trapped under the bumper of the min-van. She later died from her injuries.

I am really at a loss for words after watching the video below. This happens every single day in this country and the legal system and politicians are doing nothing. They continue to give ilegal aliens driver's licenses. They continue to allow illegal aliens to remain in our country after being convicted - Rangel-Ochoa had 3 previous drunk driving convictions from 2002. They continue to deport people and then don't secure our borders so they just come right back in under different names. They continue to come up with excuses.

This may seem harsh, but I can only hope that one day the politicians and judges who allowed this animal to remain in our country - to kill this innocent child from a hard working and loving family - have their own children brutally killed at the hands of an illegal alien drunk driver, robber, burglar or thug. The gloves are off on nice speech. Anger needs to be expressed that this is being allowed to continue. There is no room for forgiveness when things are being done deliberately to put you - and those you love - knowingly in harm's way.

Next it could be you or your child or family member.

http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/003139.html

Nearly 50 Illegal Aliens Found In Apartment

Nearly 50 illegal aliens were found living in a one bedroom apartment near 67th Avenue and Thomas in Phoenix.

Police were led to the apartment when a neighbor reported that a large group of people were dropped off.

A neighbor, Dojah Satvah says he had no idea how many people could have been in such a small place. "Woke up this morning it sounded like there was a little carnival outside you know its crazy to know it's in your neighborhood like this. You live there and you don't even see them like that."

In all, 46 people were arrested.

Police don't believe any of them were being held against their will.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/illegals_found_052209

illegal alien being sought for molesting a 12-year-old

U.S. Marshals are now searching for an illegal alien from Honduras who allegedly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old Fairfax, Va. boy, in March.

Yimi "Jimmy" Humberto Diaz, 26 who is wanted on child molestation charges speaks little to no English. His last known address was on Manitoba Drive in Alexandria, prior to that he lived in Richmond. Diaz works as a landscaper.

Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force told reporters: “Since the weather is getting nicer and school is getting out soon, the U.S. Marshals Task Force would like the public’s help in getting Diaz picked up quickly.”

Diaz is described as a slight man at 4 feet 6 inches tall, and 120 pounds. There is a financial reward being offered for information which leads to his arrest.

Anyone with information on Diaz’s whereabouts should call the U.S. Marshals Service at 301-489-1717 or 800-336-0102.

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-norfolk/another-illegal-alien-being-sought-for-molesting-a-12-year-old-va-child

Illegal alien taco trucks are feeling the crunch across the U.S.

Sergio Merida and his relatives built taco trucks into a family business.

To sell their fresh-cooked tacos, carnitas and tortas, each day they spread out across Palos Verdes Estates -- Merida to the east, his wife, Maggie Avila, to the center, and Sonia Avila, Maggie's mother, to the west.

At lunchtime, Merida and Sonia Avila would pull alongside a small park and spend two hours feeding gardeners, construction workers and nannies, and the occasional local.

The workers gobbled up the food, which they appreciated, since in this city tucked against the ocean, they otherwise might have had to drive a long way to get a cheap lunch.

"It saves us time, it saves us money," said Ramon Lezama, as he waited for his quesadilla next to his work site.

But nearby residents saw the trucks differently, complaining of traffic and litter. "It was just disruptive to the neighborhood," City Manager Joseph Hoefgren said.

Last summer, the City Council took action.

No longer could loncheras set up for hours at parks or construction sites. Instead, they could stop only at sites where a bathroom was available to patrons, and stay just half an hour, barely enough time to set up and prepare a meal or two before having to break down and drive away again. In addition, all employees had to get background checks.

Palos Verdes Estates is hardly the only community to crack down on the trucks in recent years. Los Angeles County supervisors last year passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor for taco trucks to park in unincorporated spots for more than an hour after restaurateurs complained they were siphoning off customers. A Superior Court judge later ruled the law unconstitutional.

Similar restrictions have been imposed nationwide in cities large and small, rural and metropolitan, from Hughson, Calif., to Houston, and in seemingly unlikely spots, including Des Moines; Charlotte, N.C.; and Hillsboro, Ore.

As the Latino population has grown across the United States, so have the number of taco trucks catering to them.

How communities approach them varies widely.

Suburban Jefferson Parish, La., banned them. So did Hughson, in the San Joaquin Valley. But nearby Turlock established a taco truck plaza.

"They're very popular among city employees," said Turlock's planning director, Debbie Whitmore.

Officials in many communities say the aim of their regulations is to ensure the food is sanitary, safety codes are followed and noise, late-night crowds and garbage don't get out of control. Some cities have passed ordinances that don't explicitly ban taco trucks but make it all but impossible for them to operate profitably.

Sometimes charges of racism are thrown at taco truck opponents, such as when an official in Gwinnett County, Ga., was reported to have called the growth of taco trucks and other mobile vendors "gypsy-fication," or when a Houston-area politician said, "I don't want us to become, you know, a Third World area."

Asked if regulations enacted in Houston were racist, David Mestemaker, an attorney who represented taco truck owners there, replied: "Absolutely. It's a classic case of discrimination, because 95% of the people who own them are Hispanic." A federal judge dismissed Mestemaker's suit to overturn the regulations.

Often, as in Los Angeles, owners of Mexican restaurants are behind efforts to get rid of the trucks, arguing that they're unfair competition because they don't have overhead.

Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis law school and a professor of law and Chicano studies, said restaurant owners tend to be longer-term residents and taco truck owners more recent arrivals. "This, in my mind, is another example of that tension between the established Mexican American citizens and the immigrants," he said.

But in places such as Charlotte and Des Moines, where Mexican and Central American immigrants have arrived in the last decade or two, he said, the fight against taco trucks is another way to express anti-immigrant views.

"It's hard for me to see how this whole taco truck controversy is separate and apart from the continuing clash of cultures in the U.S.," Johnson said.

In Des Moines, Councilman Brian Meyer said he introduced legislation to regulate taco trucks after a neighborhood association from the city's south side complained about "transient merchants" who also sold velvet Elvises and shaved ice. He took offense at claims that the motivation for the ordinance was racist.

"I don't want to say this was Latino versus white," he said. "We are probably the most diverse city in the state. Outside of Chicago, we have the largest population of Italian Americans in the Midwest."

But Armando Villareal, former administrator of the Iowa Division of Latino Affairs, said the complaints about the trucks came from people not used to seeing Latinos, whose numbers in the state have jumped 50% this decade.

"The growth of the Latino population has been sudden and explosive, and Iowa has been homogeneous since European immigration to the state -- and these, I guess are growing pains," he said. "It's just going to take time for folks to get used to living with each other."

In Charlotte, which has a fast-growing Latino population, residents complained last year that taco trucks were camping out in office parking lots past midnight, bringing crowds and crime to nearby neighborhoods.

"They were transitioning from a place for food to a place for folks to congregate," said John Lassiter, an at-large city councilman. "A lot of these neighborhoods are older, struggling with the changing demographic, so they perceive the taco truck and the related use as negatively impacting their quality of life and potentially impacting the value of their primary asset, which is their house."

The City Council responded by passing an ordinance forcing taco trucks to shut down at 9 p.m. and ensuring that several of them could not gather in the same parking lot.

One of the broadest bans on taco trucks was enacted in California in 2000 -- in Red Bluff, a town of about 15,000 between Chico and Redding. Last year, the city held off on cracking down on a taco truck that had begun operating, City Manager Martin Nichols said. The district attorney asked the city to go slow because it was investigating the owner's suspected involvement in a drug and money laundering ring.

Meanwhile, another entrepreneur bought a couple of taco trucks and was ready to begin operations. Then he discovered that the taco trucks themselves were illegal in Red Bluff.

"When he found out he had a worthless investment, the City Council listened to him," Nichols said.

A new ordinance to allow taco trucks -- but require minimum standards and design review before they can operate -- passed this month.

Buying a taco truck is not cheap. Merida said his truck cost $150,000. His mother-in-law, Sonia Avila, has been driving a lonchera around Palos Verdes Estates for years, and the family is well known in the area. Construction workers starting a job will sometimes call them to let them know where to bring the truck.

Merida said he doesn't believe taco trucks ever caused problems in the city. Between the recession and the new ordinance, Merida says business is down by half. Now Sonia Avila is working on her daughter's truck.

"The city was quiet until they saw the problems in L.A. with lunch trucks," Merida said. "Then everything started popping up."

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/20/local/me-tacotrucks20

Illegal Alien Murder Suspect Has Long Criminal History

KENOSHA - The man now charged with killing Kenosha County Sheriff's Deputy Frank Fabiano is an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record. Despite a rap sheet going back six years, Ezeiquiel Lopez was never deported. Only after he was charged with killing Fabiano did anyone try to have him kicked out of this country. Lopez, 44, is accused of murdering the 17-year sheriff's department veteran while high on cocaine. Lopez's history with the law dates back to 2001, when he was arrested in Utah for lewd and lascivious conduct. In 2003, he was arrested in Texas on a gun charge. In 2003, Lopez was picked up in Missouri for driving drunk. In 2004, Kenosha police arrested him on charges of domestic battery, disorderly conduct and bail jumping. And yet, this is the first time immigration enforcement had heard of him. "We can find no record of having had contact with this individual before or having had him referred to us by another law enforcement agency," said Tim Counts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In court on Friday, Lopez said nothing. But a fellow inmate at the jail said Lopez had plenty to say Thursday night. "He was saying 'I'll kill another one of you guys, give me a chance and I'll kill another one of you guys,'" said the inmate, who wanted to remain anonymous. Lopez has a wife and three kids. A criminal complaint says he was angry with his wife the night of the murder. He admits to drinking tequila, doing cocaine and driving his van but said he doesn't remember shooting anyone. A judge set Lopez's bond at $1 million Friday. A hearing to determine whether the case should go to trial is scheduled for May 29.

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/45554512.html

Another worthless illegal alien Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa kills an American. A 4 year old girl named Josie Bluhm

Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa pleaded not guilty Friday, he’s accused of running a red light at 180th and Center, causing the crash that killed 4 year old girl Josie Bluhm. Eleazer Rangel-Ochoa also pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and felony driving while under suspension. The little girl named Josie Bluhm who was only 4 years old died of her injuries following a crash, in which Eleazer Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light and collided with the minivan Bluhm was in. Rangel-Ochoa also had three prior convictions for DUI, according to Douglas County officials. Rangel Ochoa’s attorney, Joseph Lopez-Wilson, said following Friday’s hearing that his client has been living in the U.S. for 14 years. He said Rangel-Ochoa is “devastated” about what happened and his thoughts are with the Bluhm family. Yea, I’ll bet he’s devastated. FOR BEING CAUGHT. Funeral services for Josie Bluhm are planned for Saturday morning in Nebraska.

http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2009/05/15/another-worthless-illegal-immigrant-eleazar-rangel-ochoa-kills-an-american-a-4-year-old-girl-josie-bluhm/

WHNT Exclusive: Murder Suspect Confirmed As Illegal Alien

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville police say the man who allegedly killed two Huntsville teenagers in a traffic wreck is indeed an illegal immigrant.

Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have placed a detention order on Felix Ortega. His status had been in question for weeks, with police confirming his illegal status to WHNT News 19 early Thursday.

Authorities say that Ortega got drunk, hopped into his truck and killed the two teenagers in a traffic wreck at Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive back on April 17th. 16 year-old Leigh Anna Jimmerson and 19 year-old Tad Mattle died in the wreck.

Also Thursday, a Huntsville police review board concluded that the officers involved in the pursuit of Ortega prior to the wreck was done in accordance with HPD policies and procedures. Officials say the officers have been cleared, with that part of the case now closed.

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-ortega-illegal-immigrant-police,0,1820521.story

BEST team arrests illegal alien wanted for a Las Vegas murder in 2005

Fugitive caught during an outbound operation while trying to flee back to Mexico

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Authorities in Las Vegas have begun the process of extraditing a Mexican man wanted for murder, who was arrested May 6, by members of the local Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) as he attempted to flee back to Mexico.

BEST members assigned to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Las Cruces office were conducting a southbound operation at 6:15 a.m. at the Santa Teresa, N.M., port of entry when they encountered a silver 2006 Hummer H2 headed toward Mexico. After stopping the Hummer, the officers referred the vehicle and its three occupants for secondary inspection.

During the inspection, BEST members determined that one of the occupants was illegally in the United States. The other two are U.S. permanent residents. The illegal alien used the alias, Raudel Perez-Neriz, but was later positively identified as Martin Mariscal-Perez of Mexico.

ICE agents discovered that Mariscal-Perez, 28, is wanted by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department for allegedly killing Raymundo Torres in May 2005, by shooting him in the face. Authorities believe Mariscal-Perez then fled to Mexico.

Mariscal-Perez, who is charged with murder with a deadly weapon, is being detained without bond at the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces while Nevada authorities arrange to extradite him. ICE seized the Hummer because it was knowingly used to transport an illegal alien.

BEST is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE-led national initiative created along the U.S.-Mexico border to respond to a dramatic surge in cross-border crime and violence in recent years. The BEST task force in Las Cruces is one of 15 such teams nationwide.

http://www.borderfirereport.net/pdf/may-2009/best-team-arrests-illegal-alien-wanted-for-a-las-vegas-murder-in-2005.php

illegal alien struck and killed a seven-year-old boy

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. - The trial of an illegal immigrant who allegedly struck and killed a seven-year-old boy started in Smithfield Wednesday afternoon.

According to prosecutors, Hipolito Hernandez was driving drunk and speeding on a Four Oaks road on Sunday, April 13, 2008 when he hit seven-year-old Marcus Lassiter. Witnesses said that Hernandez swerved onto the sidewalk where Lassiter stood. The defense argues that the boy had been on the road.

Lassiter suffered a traumatic brain injury and later died, according to Assistant District Attorney Paul Jackson.

Jackson told the jury that after hitting the boy, Hernandez drove the car into a ditch, jumped out, and fled into nearby woods.

Officers searched the woods and arrested Hernandez about 45 minutes later. His blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit, Jackson said. The prosecutor also says Hernandez laughed and sang as police arrested him.

Jackson told the jury it was just a matter of time before Hernandez injured or killed someone. Police caught Hernandez allegedly driving drunk five times since 2004.

Hernandez is now being tried on second degree murder, driving while impaired, and reckless driving.

"He made the choices, but Marcus Lassiter and his family had to pay the price," Jackson said.

Defense attorney Robert Pleasant told the jury that police arrested the wrong man.

Witnesses described the suspect as Hispanic, and Pleasant argued that officers arrested the first Hispanic man they found.

Pleasant also said, "what happened was an accident." He told the jury that the boy had been on the road when the car hit him.

Milton Barnes, 23, took the stand Wednesday afternoon and told the jury he was watching over Lassiter and another boy as they went to play basketball that evening. He said he heard the car speeding toward them and told the boys to get back from the road. Barnes said both boys moved back about four feet from the road. Lassiter asked if he was far enough from the road. Barnes told him yes, he testified.

The defense questioned his account and his description of the suspect.

But, "I'll never forget his face," Barnes said.

About 20 family members were in the courtroom Wednesday afternoon. Lassiter's mother is expected to testify.

http://johnston.mync.com/site/johnston/news%7CSports%7CLifestyles/story/34413/johnston-dwi-murder-trial-starts

Illegal Alien alleged killer of teen on Mother's Day

A convicted felon is being held in the Mother’s Day shooting death of a Carson City teen on Highway 395.

Steven Contreras, also known as Victor Rodriguez, 24, is being held in the Washoe County Jail suspicion of felony attempted murder with a deadly weapon for the wounding of a passerby.

According to a press release with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department, Contreras, 24, of Reno, was northbound on Highway 395 with Rene Angulo, 17, of Carson City in Angulo’s car.

“The vehicle apparently veered off the roadway onto the shoulder on the east side of the roadway. Sometime during this incident Angulo was shot and killed and then removed from the vehicle by Contreras,” the release states.

Wayne Nash, 51 of Carson City, observed what he believed to be an accident, stopped to render aid.

Contreras, while attempting to flee the area, allegedly shot Nash in the leg.

Contreras then drove on Bellevue road, turning left onto Old US 395 and fled on foot after leaving the vehicle.

Deputies from Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Highway Patrol Troopers and Department of Public Safety Investigators responded immediately.

Angulo was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nash was taken to Renown Medical Center where he is being treated for the gunshot wound to his lower body.

Contreras was located by Washoe County Sheriff’s Office K-9 units, hiding in dense brush along a creek not far from where deputies found his car. He was taken into custody without incident.

His bail is currently set at $100,000.

Rodriguez then allegedly fled in Angulo’s vehicle. He was 90 minutes later hiding naked in the brush off Bellevue Road.

Contreras is also being held on an immigration hold as it appears he is in the United States illegally, according to the release.

More charges are expected in this case and more information will be released as the investigation continues.

In 2005, Contreras was sentenced to probation on a charge of accessory to murder for allegedly helping Maximilliano Cisneros, 23, flee Carson City following the shooting death of Juan Carlos Alegria and injury to Fidel Fuentes on May 25, 2004 in Eighth Street.

According to Nevada Department of Parole and Probation records, Rodriguez completed his probation in August 2007.

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20090512/NEWS/905129959/1070/rss

Officer union calls for change in immigration rule

Group wants HPD to allow questioning about citizenship status

Houston’s largest police union, frustrated by the shootings of two officers by illegal immigrants, wants an end to the department’s 17-year-old policy of not questioning residents about their immigration status.

Such a change would put Houston at odds with the state’s five other major city police departments — Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.

Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, said the September 2006 murder of officer Rodney Johnson and the severe injuries suffered by officer Rick Salter on March 5 are reasons to toughen immigration enforcement, including an end to the policy. Both officers were shot by illegal immigrants who had been deported from Houston, but returned to commit other crimes.

“It’s a strong issue,” Blankinship said. “My guys get tired of dealing with the criminal aliens out here, and it seems like the severity of the crimes is escalating and that’s frustrating to the rank and file.”

He stressed that calls for a change in the policy are not aimed at a wholesale roundup of illegal immigrants in Houston, a population the Greater Houston Partnership estimated last year at 420,000 in the 10-county Houston metropolitan area. It would help officers to weed out dangerous criminals in the undocumented community, he said.

Frank Michel, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White, said the administration has no plans to change a policy it considers crucial to policing city neighborhoods.

“We need people to be confident in Houston police officers and have them step forward to report crime, and be willing to step forward as witnesses,” Michel said.

In the aftermath of the murder of officer Johnson, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Houston police received federal training so jailers can access immigration computer databases to identify immigration violators.

“What the mayor has said repeatedly is the police have to focus on what they do best, solving crimes and protecting our neighborhoods,” Michel said. “He also has asked that the federal agencies in charge of enforcing immigration law get more resources, so they can do their jobs.”

Few are prosecuted
Lawrence Rushton, a Houston immigration attorney, said the great majority of illegal immigrants are not prosecuted on federal criminal charges when they are detained away from the border area.

Although improper entry to the country is a federal misdemeanor offense punishable by a maximum six-month jail sentence and a $250 fine, in practice most cases result in civil deportation proceedings, he said.

Rushton and officials at other large Texas police departments said reversing policies that prohibit questioning of residents about their immigration status would decrease public safety by discouraging residents to report crimes.

They also said it could open up cities to charges of racial profiling if ethnic groups were singled out for scrutiny.

“I do a lot of work with battered spouses and children, and one of the hardest things is to convince them that Houston police will not arrest them, or deport them, if they come forward and report the crime,” Rushton said.

“If they change this policy, and even if they say they’re not going to arrest a woman who is the victim of domestic abuse, if they arrest her cousin for being here without papers, I’ll never convince them to come in to report this crime.”

Austin’s policy the same
Austin Police Department spokesman Cpl. Scott Perry said that city’s policy barring the questioning of residents’ immigration status heads off charges of racial profiling.

“It’s just so there’s never the appearance of any sort of discrimination … If you make those stops based on the appearance of people, that goes against everything the police stand for,” he said.

Houston Assistant Police Chief Dan Perales, said the necessity of combating crime in immigrant communities prompted the implementation of General Order 500-5 in 1992. That need has not changed, he said.

“We want to make sure that individuals do come forward to report crimes” without fear of arrest or deportation, Perales said.

In Fort Worth, Sgt. Pedro Criado said he learned as a patrol officer that immigrants frequently balked at telling police they witnessed a crime. “We want people to come forward and have trust in the police department.”

Blankinship said 1,433 of the 7,700 inmates processed through the Houston city jail in February identified themselves as noncitizens, although he does not know how many were illegal immigrants.

“I can’t help but believe a large number were in this country illegally,” he said. “If we had to put our hands on 1,433 fewer people a month, that would free up police for other tasks.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6417743.html

Illegal Alien Held In Jail After Motorcycle Crash Kills Police Officer

LEBANON, Tenn. - A Lebanon police officer died Saturday night in a motorcycle crash. Both the driver of that car, Jose Chavez, and his passenger, Barrea Montes are in the Wilson County Jail.

The THP reports off-duty officer Jeffery Stone was riding his motorcycle Saturday night when a BMW pulled into his lane on Highway 231 near Jennings Avenue.

The men are believed to be illegal immigrants, and Chavez is charged with driving without a license.

Investigators believe Stone was going south when Chavez, who was driving the BMW tried to turn left onto the highway. The car did not stop. Stone hit the driver's side door.

Officer Stone leaves behind a wife and three children.

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=10336669

Illegal alien rapes then kills waitress, trial set

A Jan. 11 trial date has been set for a man accused of killing a former Waterloo homecoming queen during her stay at the Knoxville motel where he worked.

Valentino Vasquez Miranda, 20, is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, aggravated burglary, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and abuse of corpse in connection with the Sept. 20, 2008, strangulation death of Jennifer Lee Hampton.

Miranda, who authorities say is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, could receive the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.

During an arraignment hearing Thursday, Knox County Circuit Court Judge Bob McGee accepted Miranda's innocent plea and set the trial date.

Miranda, 20, spoke through an interpreter during his brief court appearance.

Phil Morton, assistant district attorney general, expects the trial to begin on schedule.

"I'm going to do everything within my power to see that we stick with the trial date," he said.

Knoxville police contend Miranda used his pass key to enter Hampton's room, where he sexually assaulted and killed her before taking her to a nearby lake and dumping her body.

Hampton's nude body was found in Melton Hill Lake a week after she was reported missing from the motel. Hampton, 21, was a waitress at Mama Blues Buffet in Florence.

She was staying at the motel while helping train employees preparing to open a Mama Blues in Knoxville.

The motel, which was a Days Inn when Hampton was killed, is now an AmeriStays Hotel and Suites.

During a preliminary hearing in October, Morton read a report from forensic investigators who found traces of Miranda's DNA beneath Hampton's fingernails and her blood on his clothing.

Morton said Thursday that prosecutors have not decided if they will seek the death penalty.

"It's still a little bit early to be making those types of decisions," he said.

Miranda is being held in the Knox County Detention Facility on $1 million bond.

Earlier this week, attorneys representing Hampton's parents, Michael Peden and Cynthia Senn, announced the lawsuit against the motel where Hampton was killed and its parent companies had been settled.

The lawsuit sought $100 million in damages.

The amount of the settlement is confidential, but an attorney involved in the negotiations said it involved a multi-million dollar settlement.

Source - http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090508/ARTICLES/905085027/1011/NEWS?Title=Trial-set-in-rape-killing-of-waitress

Illegal alien gets 11 years on drug charge

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who was living in Chandler and using 16 aliases was sentenced to 11 years in prison on a drug-related charge, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced this week.

Remigio Perez Roman, 41, who had been deported to Mexico a number of times for various criminal offenses, was handed down the 11-year prison sentence in Maricopa County Superior Court for one count of possession and sale of narcotic drugs, according to the county attorney’s office.

Roman, who bragged he would be back in the U.S. if deported again, pleaded guilty to the charge on March 30.

He dealt drugs out of his apartment on South Arizona Avenue and smoked cocaine in front of his infant child, according to a Chandler police arrest report.

“This defendant will be deported again, in 2020,” Maricopa County Andrew Thomas said in a written statement. “Between now and then, he’ll be doing time away from society and away from his child whom he placed in danger on a daily basis.”

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