ICE criminal immigrant roundup, 56 arrested in Ariz.
by KTAR.com (September 28th, 2011 @ 1:07pm)
http://www.ktar.com/6/1456623/ICE-criminal-immigrant-roundup-56-
arrested-in-Ariz
PHOENIX -- In response to pledges by the Obama administration to
deport criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Wednesday they
have arrested more than 2,900 criminal immigrants in the last week.
Of those, 56 were captured in Arizona. That number might seem low for
a state so close to the border of Mexico.
"Most of the illegal alien traffic that comes through Arizona, they
are headed other places [like] Los Angeles, Chicago [and] other
places on the east and west coast." Vinnie Picard with ICE said.
Of the arrests in Arizona, 46 of them were in the Phoenix area, with
another seven in Tucson. 38 of them had prior criminal convictions
for serious felonies.
"These are convicted criminals that have been around for awhile, in
some instances some of them from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s," Picard said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio points out that all of these
people have already committed a crime by coming to the country
illegally.
"Arrest illegal immigrants no matter what the crime is, or even if
there is no crime they committed a crime by coming into our United
States of America," Arpaio said.
Nationally, at least 1,282 of the more than 2,900 arrested had
multiple criminal convictions, 42 were gang members and 151 were
convicted sex offenders.
"The presence of convicted criminal aliens in our communities is not
necessarily an indication that they are recent border crossers,"
Picard said. "Most of them have been here long enough to develop a
criminal history."
The arrests come just a month after Homeland Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano announced a stronger focus of enforcement efforts and
resources to the capture of serious criminals and to delay
deportation for most non-criminal immigrants posing no threat to
public or national security.
"This enforcement action highlights our dedication to improving
public safety by targeting criminal aliens who have no right to be in
Arizona victimizing our communities," said Katrina S. Kane, field
office director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Arizona.
Homeland Security has been widely criticized for using fingerprints
collected in local jails to identify and deport people arrested for
minor traffic offenses and other misdemeanors. Napolitano has
promised a case-by-case review of deportation cases to look for
serious criminals to deport.
4 more enter country illegally on Deming school bus
By Matt Robinson / Deming Headlight
Posted: 09/28/2011 07:34:23 AM MDT
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18994057?source=most_viewed
Four more illegal immigrants have entered Deming aboard a Deming
Public School's bus. The incident came a week after a Mexican
national was arrested for entering the country illegally and riding a
school bus to town.
Previous: Mexican national enters country illegally on Deming school bus
Ray Trejo, Jr., director of the DPS transportation office, said four
undocumented immigrants boarded a school bus Monday and rode to town.
Once in Deming, the school bus driver notified the school district
which in turn notified the Deming Police Department. The DPD
responded, according to Chief Michael Carillo, but turned the case
over to the U.S. Border Patrol because of the immigration issues.
"What we continually ask is they notify us from the port of entry if
there's any questions regarding students that aren't on their roster
or if there's any questions at all," Trejo said after expressing
disappointment the driver waited until the bus reached Deming to
notify the school district. "Well, I was under the impression they
had all got the message they are not to allow adults posing as
students onto the school buses."
The school district contracts with two local transportation firms M&T
Busing and Haynes Busing to handle picking up and dropping off
students. According to Trejo, "roughly" 450 to 500 students board the
buses at the Columbus Port of Entry on the U.S. side of the border.
The students are American citizens,
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either by birth or other means, who live in Mexico.
"I'm totally disappointed," he said. "I am beating myself up because
when this is allowed to happen, we're jeopardizing all other students
on that school bus that are here coming to school for a legitimate
education, not to mention when they're dropped off here at school, we
just open the door for possibly anything."
He likened the school buses to classrooms, saying bus drivers should
be as aware of their passengers as a teacher is of his or her
students. He said the bus drivers have a roster of passengers with
photos.
"They're the first line of defense," he added.
He said there is no excuse for what happened, but did touch on the
more sophisticated methods undocumented immigrants are using to fool
the authorities. He described backpacks full of labeled notebooks and
Wildcat the district's mascot memorabilia.
A spokesman for the Border Patrol was unable to comment on the
incident, saying the agency is still collecting facts.
On Thursday, Sept. 15, an 18-year-old Mexican national was arrested
for riding the bus from the border to Deming.
Matt Robinson can be reached at mrobinson@demingheadlight.com
Note: blood pressure warning
Smuggler gets 5 years in rollover that killed 11 by Associated Press
(September 27th, 2011 @ 6:17pm)
http://www.ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20110927/
Smuggler-gets-5-years-in-rollover-that-killed-11/
PHOENIX - An immigrant smuggler has been sentenced to more than five
years in prison stemming from a rollover crash in southeastern
Arizona that killed 11 people ``stacked like wood'' inside.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday that 37-year-old Oscar Garay-
Mariscal was sentenced Monday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy
to transport immigrants for profit resulting in death.
Garay-Mariscal was in a sport-utility vehicle with dozens of illegal
immigrants and other smugglers in June 2009 when the driver lost
control on a remote southeastern Arizona highway east of Sonoita.
The vehicle rolled over numerous times and most everyone inside was
ejected, killing 10 illegal immigrants and one of the smugglers.
Three other smugglers involved in the incident already have been
sentenced to between four and six years in prison.
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