wethepeopleofamerica.org

03/20/2007
Herndon approves ICE agreement
By: Gregg MacDonald

On Tuesday, March 13, the Herndon Town Council voted to make Herndon the first incorporated town in America to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to train and empower local officers to enforce federal immigration law.
The vote was passed unanimously (6-0, with Bill Tirrell absent) in favor of a resolution approving a memorandum of agreement that initially allows up to seven Herndon police officers to be trained by ICE.

Some cities and counties across the nation have already partnered with ICE to receive 287(g) federal immigration law training, but Herndon is widely regarded to be the first small town in America to do so.

The agreement authorizes up to seven “nominated, trained and certified” town police officers to undergo the training, which will enable them to interrogate and process “criminal illegal aliens” for immigration violations; to arrest without a warrant anyone unlawfully entering or re-entering the United States after deportation; and charging illegal aliens for detention, transportation and “removal.”

Training for the Herndon officers will include immigration law, civil rights law, “measures to counter possible racial profiling,” and “cross-cultural issues,” according to the agreement.

The training can be utilized for felonies and any misdemeanor listed as a Group A offense. Group A offenses vary widely, from shoplifting to embezzlement to murder, prompting former councilman Richard Downer to exclaim during the public hearing, “This is not what was sold to our citizens in the mayor’s December letter and it is way too broad as a starting point for an agreement which could be started on a limited, worst-of-the-worst basis.”

Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis wrote in his December letter in the “At Home in Herndon” newsletter that the immigration enforcement agreement would target only “the worst of the worst.”

During discussion on the agreement, Councilman Charlie Waddell said, “I’d like to see a broader set of offenses, but this is a good start,” adding that “this 287(g) does not target people who are not lawbreakers.”

According to the agreement, driving under the influence of alcohol or drug offenses can also fall under federal enforcement authority. However, police functions conducted under the agreement must be performed “under the direct supervision of ICE,” the document states.

In all, 11 people spoke at the hearing in favor of the resolution, and nine spoke against it, including those who feared that the empowerment will allow random immigration sweeps.

On Feb. 5, ICE authorities, with the help of the Herndon Police Department, arrested 11 suspected illegal aliens in Herndon. Although those arrested were not the initial targets of the raid, authorities said the individuals were all suspected of being in violation of immigration law and were “collaterally” arrested just the same.

“We certainly won’t be doing random sweeps, but I think that, having a formal relationship with ICE, we will be there to support them when they need us, the way that recent activity took place,” DeBenedittis told The Times after that event.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – There were dueling immigration rallies in L-A today, marking the one-year anniversary of a massive pro-immigrant demonstration that jammed downtown streets with a half-million protesters. Today’s rallies didn’t come close to bringing the crowds of the event they commemorated.

Several hundred immigrant rights activists marched downtown to protest immigration raids and demand reform. But police said the crowd was too thin to encircle the Federal Building as planned.

Blocks away, a group of anti-illegal immigration demonstrators demanded stiffer enforcement of the borders and verbally clashed with pro-immigration forces on the streets.

Earlier, hundreds attended an earlier pro-immigrant rally at the Los Angeles Sports Arena that featured a speech from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Photos on ALIPAC

Del Carmen Mexican Store is a general store where migrant farm workers can get the things they miss – a familiar home-cooked meal, Spanish-labeled soda and movies and music, plantains and jalapenos, La Princesa ice pops – and also the things they need – Wrangler jeans, sturdy boots, wide-brimmed hats, soccer gear. Men, tired, stretch their legs at the tables along the wall and eat the food women in the kitchen pass over the counter. On the shelf near a counter, there are nearly a dozen books on how to learn English.

The mood at Del Carmen on Friday was quiet. No one wanted to talk about what happened the morning before, when masked detectives raided the place.

People who know store owner Jose Frias, 41, say he’s a quiet, polite, nice man. They’re shocked that something like this – and on this scale – could happen.

A criminal mastermind? Jose?

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is saying that, in 21/2 years, $48-million passed through the hands of Jose Frias, who also owns La Onda nightclub in Dade City. During their Thursday morning raid, detectives found $80,000 in cash piled in Del Carmen and another $210,000 in La Onda and Frias’ residences.

The $48-million, the Sheriff’s Office says, was filtered through Frias in checks he cashed for migrant farm workers, money transfers sent back to Mexico and other laundering methods as part of some kind of criminal enterprise.

The operating budget for Dade City, population 7,200, is only $5-million.

Authorities say they have been investigating Frias for two and a half years. But after their raid on his businesses and homes Thursday, they now have thousands of documents and ledgers to burrow through, to find out where this money came from, where it went and why. The investigation, in many ways, is just starting.

Frias was arrested Thursday on charges of illegal check cashing and racketeering. The Sheriff’s Office says he overcharged migrant workers to cash checks, and there was fraud involved in sending money transfers to Mexico. He is being held at the Land O’Lakes jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

The Sheriff’s Office released a report Friday saying that Frias and his 35-year-old wife, Maria, “admitted to knowingly and consciously operating a criminal enterprise.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is working with the investigation. Doug Tobin, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said that no drug charges have been filed. Though Tobin said Maria Frias admitted her participation, she has not been arrested or charged yet.

Tobin said both Jose and Maria Frias have been cooperative with detectives.

He also said, as the investigation continues, more arrests could be made.

Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, said the office is aware of Jose Frias’ arrest and it is monitoring the case. Cole said Frias could face federal charges but doesn’t have any yet.

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As a percentage of Nashville’s population, male Hispanics have been responsible for a greater percentage of fatal traffic accidents this year than any other demographic, police data show.

Now, recognizing they have a very real problem on their hands, leaders of Nashville’s Hispanic community are launching the first-ever coordinated campaign to educate the Middle Tennessee Latino community about the dangers of drunk driving.

“Drinking and driving is a problem within the Latino community as within other groups of the community at large,” Conexión Américas Executive Director Jose Gonzalez wrote in a press release announcing the partnering of Conexion, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), State Farm Insurance, Metro Police, and Hispanic media to begin the awareness campaign.

But statistics show they may have their work cut out for them.

While the U.S. Census bureau estimates that Hispanics made up approximately 6.3 percent of Nashville’s population in 2004, police say they were responsible for 17 percent of the fatal car wrecks that have occurred so far in 2006.

Nashville’s approximately 93 percent of people of other races and ethnic groups combined, were responsible for the other 83 percent of this year’s fatal traffic accidents.

As of the end of last week, there have been 79 fatal traffic accidents this year, resulting in the deaths of 89 persons, police said.

Since the summer, Nashville’s Hispanic leaders have weathered a tempest caused by a number of deadly, high- profile accidents police say came at the hands of Latinos, three quarters of whom were allegedly drunk, and some who have been identified as illegal immigrants.

“As a cultural group, Hispanics are responsible for more fatal accidents then they are entitled to… based on their percentage of the population,” said Metro Police Sgt. William Keeter, supervisor of traffic analysis, hit and runs and fatal crash investigations.

From Gustavo Garcia – arrested and charged in June for DUI and the vehicular homicide of a Mt. Juliet couple – to Julio Villasana – indicted last week on charges of DUI and driving head-first into a motorcycle ridden by Gibson Guitar’s Charlie Derrington, killing him – news of the arrests of multiple Hispanics on drunk driving and vehicular homicides has created a firestorm in Nashville.

Not only did the issue become a part of the governor’s race, it prompted Nashville’s top three law enforcement officers to team up and ask the federal government for the authority to begin its own deportation proceedings on illegal aliens being booked into the Nashville jail.

Last week, Hispanic leaders decided enough was enough, and announced that they have teamed up with MADD and the police to begin educating Latinos about drunk driving.

The problem the Hispanic community has run into is a lack of awareness about the hazards of drunk driving, program organizers said.

“There’s a problem with drunk driving in this community,” said Laura Dial, MADD Tennessee’s executive director.
“We’re not reaching out to a segment of our community, and that’s the Spanish-speaking segment.”

The immigration debate has cast a spotlight on a number of fatal car accidents involving Latinos, Dial said.

“But I could rattle off a list of other crashes that have nothing to do with anyone Hispanic that are just as devastating. And there are a lot more of them,” she said.

At the same time, though, alcohol was a contributing factor in 75 percent of the fatal car crashes caused this year by Hispanics, a far higher percentage than with other groups, police said.

Keeter said the rate of alcohol-caused crashes among whites, blacks, Asians and others is usually about 40 percent.

South Precinct Commander Rick Langford said he welcomed the push by MADD and Conexion to target Hispanics about drinking and driving.

“We’ve had trouble getting into the Hispanic community because of the language barrier,” Langford said.

While MADD has started more sophisticated Spanish-language campaigns in other parts of the country, Tennessee has lagged behind, Dial said, with obvious results.

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The TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights) is at every turn to stop anything they deem anti-illegal immigration, though they disguise it as anti-immigration Many in Nashville recognize what is happening to a very well known southern city and the transformation due to an enormous illegal alien population. 

The seriousness of the situation has resulted in implementation of the 287 (g) by Sheriff Daron Hall and other measures such as the English only bill etc. 

Illegal Landlord/Business Bills Deferred Indefinitely 

English Only Bill Advances to Third Reading 

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Nashville Metro Council meeting last Tuesday night, and who has contacted Nashville Metro Council members in recent weeks to oppose the three anti-immigrant bills under consideration. Approximately 200 community members showed up on November 21st to oppose the discriminatory ordinances, and our efforts have been rewarded. Two bills down, one to go. The third and final reading for the English Only bill is on December 5th, and we have just one week to prevent our city from joining an unseemly club—the host of local governments around the country that believe making life harder for immigrants will somehow fix our broken immigration system or safeguard our national identity. 

EMAIL THE METRO COUNCIL HERE 

What Happened at Tuesday’s Meeting? 

(Tennessean coverage / City Paper coverage) 

Illegal Landlord / Illegal Business ordinances (Jim Gotto, 883-3087), DEFERRED INDEFINITELY —In a welcome show of respect for constitutionality and the law, Councilman Gotto said that it would be in our city’s best interest to wait until the Hazelton case is resolved in the courts before pursuing similar measures in Nashville (our ordinances are taken from a single ordinance in Hazelton, PA; in fact, the name "Hazelton" is still included in the text of one of the Nashville bills). While these bills are only deferred and not defeated, it is unlikely that Councilman Gotto will choose to ignore the concerns so vocally expressed by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Council legal department, civil and immigrant rights organizations, and thousands of immigrant community members. 

English-only ordinance (Eric Crafton, 352-7808), PASSED ON SECOND READING—The sponsor argued that it’s "a curse" to be a bilingual nation, and such legislation is necessary to prevent the US from becoming one. "No nation can withstand the antagonism, tension and conflict brought about by multilingualism and multiculturalism." He went on to argue that forcing people to speak English will "allow [them] the dignity of taking responsibility for their own lives and actions." Apparently, immigrants can’t be dignified if they need some translation assistance. 

As expected, the English-only ordinance did pass on second reading. The encouraging news is that it passed with only 21 votes in favor, the bare minimum of support it will need to pass on third reading and become law. (On third reading, a bill needs the majority of council votes, and there are 40 council seats in all; any "no" vote, abstention, or absence counts against the bill). Click here for a printable vote count. 

Also on an encouraging note, the council voted to support Councilwoman Neighbor’s pro-immigrant/pro-English resolution, which asks the Mayor to study the impact of English Only legislation, and to determine if it might actually slow English acquisition among immigrants who are linguistically isolated. We need to highlight the passage of this resolution when we talk with our council members, and point out the potential unintended consequences of restrictive and punitive legislation. We can all agree that English acquisition is vital for the success of new immigrants; we wouldn’t want to advance public policy that actually slows this acquisition or prevents further integration into our communities. 

SIX DAYS LEFT TO CONTACT COUNCIL MEMBERS!! 

Please continue to contact your council member to oppose this bill (see talking points and how your council member voted below). Every council member can be reached collectively at the group email address: councilmembers@nashville.gov. If you prefer, you can go to the council’s webpage and find each council member’s individual email address and phone number. 

Please also consider contacting council members in bold letters below. It is very important that we contact council members who abstained from voting or were absent, and make sure they don’t shift to the "yes" column. There are also several council members who voted "yes," but who are known to be open to reasonable arguments. Finally, please take a minute to thank your council member if he or she had the courage to vote "no" on second reading. 

ABSTAIN votes (5) 

Buck Dozier (Madison), buck.dozier@nashville.gov, 615-868-4042 

Diane Neighbors (At-large), diane.neighbors@nashville.gov, 615-262-2807 

Walter Hunt (Whites Creek), walter.hunt@nashville.gov, 615-876-3367 

Anna Page (Nolensville Road), anna.page@nashville.gov 

Jim Hodge (Haywood Lane), hodgedistrict30@bellsouth.net, 615-255-2703, ex17 

ABSENT for vote (4) 

Jamie Isabel (Bordeaux), jamie.isabel@nashville.gov, 615-255-1506 

Erik Cole (East Nashville), erik.cole@nashville.gov, 615-228-1337 

Randy Foster (South Davidson), randy.foster@nashville.gov, 615-834-0562 

Jason Alexander (Antioch), jason.alexander@nashville.gov, 615-367-4424 

YES votes (21) 

Rip Ryman (Goodlettsville), rip.ryman@nashville.gov, 615-859-0409 

Billy Joe Walls (West Nashville), billyjoe.walls@nashville.gov, 615-353-6248 

Emily Evans (Belle Meade), emily.evans@nashville.gov, 615-356-6294 

John Summers (Sylvan Park), john.summers@nashville.gov, 615-386-9660 

Greg Adkins (Crieve Hall), greg.adkins@nashville.gov, 615-832-2767 

Sam Coleman (Antioch), sam.coleman@nashville.gov, 615-641-5168 

Carolyn Baldwin Tucker (At-large), carolyn.tucker@nashville.gov, 615-868-4060 

Michael Craddock (Madison), michael.craddock@nashville.gov, 615-226-0521 

Pam Murray (Cleveland Park), pam.murray@nashville.gov, 615-248-3556 

Jason Hart (Inglewood), jason.hart@nashville.gov, 615-262-6010 

Feller Brown (Old Hickory), feller.brown@nashville.gov, 615-847-3958 

Jim Gotto (Hermitage), jim.gotto@nashville.gov, 615-883-3087 

Carl Burch (Donelson), carl.burch@nashville.gov, 615-883-3695 

Harold White (Donelson), whw777@comcast.net, 615-889-6572 

J.B. Loring (Donelson), j.b.loring@nashville.gov, 615-885-0780 

Ludye Wallace (Downtown), ludye.wallace@nashville.gov, 615-329-4356 

Edward Whitmore (North Nashville), edward.whitmore@nashville.gov, 615-321-0795 

Eric Crafton (West Nashville), eric.crafton@nashville.gov, 615-352-7808 

Vivian Wilhoite (Antioch), vivian.wilhoite@nashville.gov, 615-589-2003 

Robert Duvall (Antioch), robert.duvall@nashville.gov, 615-641-7313 

Charlie Tygard (Bellevue), charlie.tygard@nashville.gov, 615-646-3295 

NO votes (10) 

David Briley (At-large), david.briley@nashville.gov, 615-429-6533 

Adam Dread (At-large), adam.dread@nashville.gov, 615-485-5683 

Brenda Gilmore (Bordeaux), brenda.gilmore@nashville.gov, 615-876-3665 

Mike Jameson (East Nashville), mike.jameson@nashville.gov, 615-227-5940 

Jim Forkum (Madison), jim.forkum@nashville.gov, 615-868-4164 

Ronnie Greer (Woodland-in-Waverly), ronnie.greer@nashville.gov, 615-385-2893 

Ginger Hausser (West End), ginger.hausser@nashville.gov, 615-291-6718 

Jim Shulman (Green Hills), jim.shulman@nashville.gov, 615-292-4344 

Parker Toler (South Davidson), parker.toler@nashville.gov, 615-376-2952 

Lynn Williams (Green Hills), lynn.williams@nashville.gov, 615-385-3859 

Talking Points 

English Only Ordinance (BL2006-1185, Crafton)—declares English the official language and prohibits all Metro communications from being translated/interpreted. The bill was amended to make exceptions for requirements of "federal law or when necessary to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare." 

Hurts Nashville’s Attempts to Welcome Diversity—This ordinance targets and discriminates against all foreign-born people in Nashville, including refugees who have come to this country to escape discrimination and persecution. 

Makes Learning English Harder—Today’s immigrants are learning English the same way our grandparents did—by getting out into the community and interacting with native speakers of the language. This ordinance seeks to further isolate immigrants, making it much more difficult to learn English. 

Threatens Public Safety—Who will determine what translations are necessary to promote public safety? Individual metro employees? Imposing an artificial language barrier creates confusion, and will threaten public safety for all Nashvillians. 

Fails to Address Immigration Issues—This ordinance has nothing to do with illegal immigration, and would harm the lives of all people struggling to learn English, regardless of their immigration status. Immigrants and refugees must learn English before they can apply for U.S. citizenship. Over the many years that they wait for processing, they must be able to access the essential functions of government. 

Hurts the Local Economy—This bill says to new businesses and students considering Nashville, foreign people are not welcome. According to the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, investment in Tennessee from Japan alone exceeded $9.4 billion in 2004, creating over 40,000 jobs. 

http://www.tnimmigrant.org/TN_Coalition/Mailings/EnglishOrdinance112206.html

A driver who dragged an 11-year-old girl nearly 500 yards after striking her with his van, leaving her severely injured, pleaded guilty to two felonies.

Mauricio Sanchez, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of criminal vehicular operation resulting in great bodily harm.

State sentencing guidelines call for 18-month stayed sentences for the two counts, but Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said he will ask for a three-year prison sentence.

“We believe this man showed particular cruelty, and his attempt to flee after striking the young girl resulted in life-threatening and permanent debilitating injuries,” Backstrom said. “She was close to dying.”

Sentencing was set for March 21, 2007.

Sixth-grader Gladys Reyes was dragged Jan. 28 in West St. Paul and remains at Regions Hospital in serious condition. Her right arm was amputated because of her injuries.
Sanchez asked to be sentenced immediately because he has been distraught since the accident, said his lawyer, Patrick Cotter. Backstrom said he thinks Sanchez wanted to be sentenced immediately to protect himself from more serious charges, should Reyes’ condition worsen.
A native of El Salvador, Sanchez could face deportation proceedings after his sentence.

Source

Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews, 21, of Columbia, N.C., was killed recently, not by a sniper in the Iraq war, from which he’d returned home in one piece, but by a drunk illegal alien who obtained his driving license in North Carolina.

In North Carolina, one does not have to provide proof of legal status to obtain a legal driver’s license.

In North Carolina, your family pet can get a driving license.

Mathew’s squad leader remembered Mathews’ unflinching performance under fire when their unit walked into a sniper ambush in Iraq last year. According to the World Net Daily, Cpl. Robinson said, “he was beside me the whole time; he was giving his team commands. He was a perfectionist Marine, and it really showed. We didn’t have one casualty or one killed
in action in the ambush”.

To double the tragedy, Mathews’ date Jennifer Bower of Montgomery Village was also killed when the car, driven by illegal Eduardo Morales- Soriano, drunk at four times the legal blood-alcohol limit, slammed into them as they waited at a stop-light.

North Carolina has become the east coast destination of choice for illegals who want driving licenses because the state’s requirements for documentation are sloppy and their verification
of document legitimacy is nearly non-existent.

According to WorldNet News, “Court officials in New Jersey…have complained that [North Carolina’s] requirements are so weak, busloads of illegal immigrants get on I-95…to North Carolina to obtain licenses fraudulently.”

To deepen the crisis, once an illegal has a North Carolina license, he can take that “legitimate”
license and use it in any other state to get another license. This process can be repeated ad infinitum until it is nearly impossible to get back to the source of the crime of using fraudulent documents to get the original license.

In 2005 North Carolina police made drunk driving arrests of a staggering 76,000 Hispanic
drivers; what percent were illegal aliens seems to be “unknown”. Could North Carolina DMV be covering its backside with the “unknowns” in the wake of three more deaths caused by illegal drivers in the last two weeks?

Helen Hughes, 22, Jennifer Carter, 18, and Ben Leonard, 16, were killed by Pasto Rios Sanchez when he crossed the center line and hit Hughes’ car head-on. Sanchez had been arrested at least three times previously for driving infractions, so apparently North Carolina is lax with driving
infraction arrests as well.

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Oregon is the only state on the West Coast that openly acknowledges that it issues driver licenses to illegal aliens. In addition, Oregon is one of only five states that do not verify the Social Security numbers of driver license applicants. The result is that Oregon has become a magnet for ID fraud, the methamphetamine trade and illegal immigration. In addition it has put a terrible burden on our public schools, the Oregon Health Plan and the criminal justice system.

The 2007 Oregon Legislature will address the issue but only because they are forced to do so. In 2005 Congress passed the REAL ID Act. This act requires all states to verify that driver license applicants are either U.S. citizens or legal residents. If a state does not comply with the act by May 2008, that states driver licenses will no longer be valid as proof of identification when boarding planes, entering a federal building or in any other dealings with the federal government. In essence, citizens from non-complying states will need a passport or other similar ID’s when traveling outside their state.

Unfortunately there is a loophole in the REAL ID Act. The loophole allows states to set up a two-tiered system. A high standard for American citizens to obtain a driver license and a low standard for illegal aliens to receive a “driving privilege” license. The driving privilege card could not theoretically be used as an ID.

Fortunately only two states, Utah and Tennessee, have taken advantage of the loophole and one of them, Tennessee stopped doing so. Last year Tennessee discontinued the practice citing the fact that out-of-state applicants were using fake papers and bribes to get the cards. In fact crime syndicates were bringing people in from not only other states, but Central and South America as well.

Governor Kulongoski is on record in saying that he will introduce a driver license bill in the

upcoming legislative session that will bring Oregon in compliance with the REAL ID Act. However when questioned about a driving privilege card for illegal aliens he did not respond with an answer. If Oregon were to pass a bill that contains the driving privilege card for illegal aliens, we would be only the second state that actively has such a provision and consequently become even a greater magnet for crime.

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As a percentage of Nashville’s population, male Hispanics have been responsible for a greater percentage of fatal traffic accidents this year than any other demographic, police data show.

Now, recognizing they have a very real problem on their hands, leaders of Nashville’s Hispanic community are launching the first-ever coordinated campaign to educate the Middle Tennessee Latino community about the dangers of drunk driving.

“Drinking and driving is a problem within the Latino community as within other groups of the community at large,” Conexión Américas Executive Director Jose Gonzalez wrote in a press release announcing the partnering of Conexion, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), State Farm Insurance, Metro Police, and Hispanic media to begin the awareness campaign.

But statistics show they may have their work cut out for them.

While the U.S. Census bureau estimates that Hispanics made up approximately 6.3 percent of Nashville’s population in 2004, police say they were responsible for 17 percent of the fatal car wrecks that have occurred so far in 2006.

Nashville’s approximately 93 percent of people of other races and ethnic groups combined, were responsible for the other 83 percent of this year’s fatal traffic accidents.

As of the end of last week, there have been 79 fatal traffic accidents this year, resulting in the deaths of 89 persons, police said.

Since the summer, Nashville’s Hispanic leaders have weathered a tempest caused by a number of deadly, high- profile accidents police say came at the hands of Latinos, three quarters of whom were allegedly drunk, and some who have been identified as illegal immigrants.

“As a cultural group, Hispanics are responsible for more fatal accidents then they are entitled to… based on their percentage of the population,” said Metro Police Sgt. William Keeter, supervisor of traffic analysis, hit and runs and fatal crash investigations.

From Gustavo Garcia – arrested and charged in June for DUI and the vehicular homicide of a Mt. Juliet couple – to Julio Villasana – indicted last week on charges of DUI and driving head-first into a motorcycle ridden by Gibson Guitar’s Charlie Derrington, killing him – news of the arrests of multiple Hispanics on drunk driving and vehicular homicides has created a firestorm in Nashville.

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