Dalton: Police hear residents’ immigration concerns

Chattanooga Times Free Press ^ | June 23rd, 2011 | Perla Trevizo

[moonshinner_09]

DALTON, Ga. — “My mother was detained on a roadblock,” Leslie Balladares said.

The 13-year-old was addressing a crowd of about 200 people including Dalton’s Mayor David Pennington and police Chief Jason Parker on Wednesday evening.

On May 21 her mother was driving her brother, Cristian Balladares, 9, to soccer practice when she went through the roadblock and was arrested because she was driving without a license.

“It’s been a month since I’ve seen my mom,” said the seventh-grader, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Leslie shared her story during a meeting between city and local law enforcement officers and local Hispanics at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

The meeting was to respond to questions about roadblocks affecting Hispanics disproportionately and Georgia’s new law, HB 87, the Coalition of Latino Leaders and other Hispanics had raised during a meeting two weeks ago.

Among other things, HB 87, which is set to take effect July 1, would allow authorities to ask for identification from someone who is detained and penalize people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

“We’ve heard your concerns,” Pennington told attendees.

“But I ask you to please understand we are one level of government. The higher the government, the higher the power. The local government cannot override the state government, and the state government cannot override the federal government,” he added.

[moonshinner_09]

Police have to explain why America has laws and why they apply to illegals, dumbing down of America.

[andyk]

The meeting was to respond to questions about roadblocks affecting Hispanics disproportionately and Georgia’s new law, HB 87

Is it affecting Hispanics at the same rate of which they drive without licenses, with respect to the rest of the population? Then it's not disproportionate.

[Elendur]

and was arrested because she was driving without a license.

“It’s been a month since I’ve seen my mom,” said the seventh-grader, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

///
if I was driving without a license, i’d be arrested also.

and how many tax dollars go to that Mom each month, from hard working citizens, for her foodstamps, wic, housing subsidy, education, medical, etc. ?

...i don’t even take my child to McDonald’s once a month!
and i should feel sorry for them for coming her illegally, and effectively STEALING thousands of dollars from Americans, and LEGAL immigrants ?!?

[oldenuff2no]

Let us get this right. You mom is here illegally and then drives a car, which is a privilege not a right, without a license and you just want everyone to look the other way. If she doesn't have a license then she doesn't have insurance either so we have another violation.
Why is it that illegals think that they can break our laws and we should all just look the other way?
I hope she hears from her mom soon telling her that she is safely back home in Mexico.

[higgmeister]

Downtown Dalton

Dalton is located just off Interstate 75 in northwest Georgia. Dalton is home to many of the nation's floorcovering manufacturers. The 2006 estimated population was 33,045.

Pardon me for laughing but I remember a time, not long ago, when Northwest Georgia had no idea that Hispanics existed in the Whole Wide World.

In about 1989, my brother had just completed a temporary job in Arizona. After living for weeks in fleabag motels or short term apartments, the lead man told the crew that he was going to put a tortilla on his car antenna and drive as far as he could.

If he stopped driving and anyone asked why he had a tortilla on his car aerial he would not say a word but just get back in his car and drive. He said he would keep driving until he could stop and only have people ask what that funny looking thing was on his car antenna and then he would know he was home.

[freekitty]

Well, that is just dandy. State government can’t override federal; etc.

The hell they can’t.

[SECURE AMERICA]

“It’s been a month since I’ve seen my mom,” said the seventh-grader, as tears rolled down her cheeks

Maybe she should not have been breaking the law. Oh well..

[HiJinx]

Ping!

[jaydee770]

I wonder what the consequences would be for an “undocumented” gringo driving without a license in Mexico?

[Razz Barry]

Get out your hankie for this one - An Uncertain Future: Seeking a place to call home

Our laws and well being are nothing to these people. They are the most selfish people I've ever lived around.

[higgmeister]

But he said he has trouble understanding why after so many years here illegally, when he was welcomed by teachers and administrators and coaches — several of whom have written character letters of support for him — he has to deal with the feeling of being pushed out. He is frustrated that immigration enforcement, lax for so many years, has become a hot topic and a must-do for some public officials. And he also believes there are more illegal aliens than people expect, guessing that half of the Hispanic students at Southeast are not here legally.

A shockingly large number of employers in Northeast Georgia have been looking the other way and even advising illegals on ways to game the system, including alerting illegal workers when ICE initiated raids in the past. This especially includes floor covering and carpet mills, poultry farms, furniture manufacturers, etc. The illegals are naturally incentivised to work harder and are much easier to control than American workers.

[Razz Barry]

A shockingly large number of employers in Northeast Georgia have been looking the other way and even advising illegals on ways to game the system, including alerting illegal workers when ICE initiated raids in the past. This especially includes floor covering and carpet mills, poultry farms, furniture manufacturers, etc. The illegals are naturally incentivised to work harder and are much easier to control than American workers.

Here, in Dalton, the first company to bring illegals in was the poultry plant. Conagra would run advertisements in Mexican papers for people to come here. The carpet mill owners found they too could transfer part of their labor cost onto the backs of the taxpayers. The local government officials, taking their orders form those with money and wanting Dalton to become a Metropolis to receive more Federal funds, looked the other way. Law enforcement even told us we had no gang problem for years after gangs were spray painting their signs on buildings. So went the sellout of Americans in my town as with others throughout the country.

I don't care what people say. Hispanics are not the hard working wonderful people the pro-illegal side says they are. I work and live surrounded by them. There's not a one I'd trust with a key to my house. I'm not sure they under stand property rights. If something is unattended they think it's ok to take it.

People who think Hispanics are hard workers must be very lazy people themselves. They routinely try passing their work onto American employees by claiming they don't understand what they're suppose to do. They take advantage, never hesitating to asking Americans to do something for them. They're like little children that have to be watched at all times.

[higgmeister]

Reality Bump - the truth from one who knows

My wife's cousin is a manager at Tip-Top.