Posted on 05/21/2007 6:02:17 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
WHEELING -- "Ud tiene el derecho de permancer callado." Those were the first words spoken by Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy C.R. Bise recently as he placed an illegal immigrant under arrest.
The words are familiar to law enforcement here in the Northern Panhandle.
"It means, 'You have the right to remain silent,' in Spanish," explained Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne, who worked for 27 years as an FBI agent before taking office in 2000. "It's the beginning of the Miranda Warning translated, and every one of our 26 active deputies have been given a copy."
"We're covering all our bases so when these arrests take place so we've broken the language barrier down to the point where they are able to understand why they are being arrested," he said. "Legally, we have to do it. Why? That's a very good question since those rights are for Americans, and illegal immigrants are not Americans."
A 15-mile segment of Interstate 70 passes through the Northern Panhandle. Illegal immigrants seeking work make heavy use of the east-west highway, which runs from Cove Fort, Utah, to Baltimore, Md.
In the past 23 months, Burgoyne's department has arrested, processed and jailed 98 illegal immigrants. More than 20 have been arrested by the Wheeling Police Department in the past 18 months.
In contrast, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department has not arrested a single one in 2007, according to Lt. Brian Stover.
"That's an issue that is barely mentioned here because we don't appear to have the same problems," he said. "In the 18 years I've worked for this department, there have been very few arrests involving illegal immigrants, and I can't recall a single arrest in last four or five years."
Burgoyne said it seems that many illegal immigrants head east in the spring to find jobs along the Atlantic seaboard.
"The males work in construction, in food service, at hotels, and most of the females go to work for the resort hotels as maids," Burgoyne said. "Once the summer season is over, they will flow back through to get jobs on the West Coast.
"Over the last two years we've had so many arrests, I can sort of see how someone could come to think that our deputies were just arresting every person they thought looked like an illegal immigrant, but that's not the fact. It's the vehicles they drive, and it's concerned citizens who call in the tips."
Since Burgoyne's department started keeping count, 92 men and six women have been picked up. Their average age, according to Bise, was 25.
Ohio County deputies have discovered undocumented workers at a cable company, a paving outfit, and a cleaning service.
But 95 of the 98 arrests have taken place on I-70, Bise said, when vehicles were pulled over for speeding, equipment violations, and expired registration or inspection stickers.
"We've pulled over cars with no license plates, and others with their mufflers dragging on the pavement," Bise said. "One thing that has been consistent in all the arrests I have made has been the stench inside the automobiles. The stench gets me every time and it's because these folks don't stop to bathe while they're trying to cross the country without getting caught.
"I've seen people stuffed under the car seats, and a lot of them travel with their luggage on their laps to make more room. I wish more people could see some of these things."
When Burgoyne's deputies nab the 100th illegal, the sheriff will make him or her available to reporters.
"We'll have a translator available so questions and answers can be exchanged," the sheriff said. "I think it would be a very good thing for the public to see what we've been dealing with, and that this problem isn't something that should be ignored."
It is not the number of illegal immigrants that concerns Burgoyne and Bise as much as it is the way the federal government treats them.
In each of the 98 cases in Ohio County, representatives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Pittsburgh have identified each individual as illegal, set a court date, and then released them.
"And what do you think the odds of them showing up for that court hearing, especially since most of them are set two years down the road?" Burgoyne said. "One time we arrested four illegal immigrants, and they were sent to ICE in Pittsburgh. After their hearing with ICE, they were set free so they took a taxi back to Wheeling so they could look for their car.
"They even came to my house after asking around, 'Where does the sheriff live?' But when I asked them if they would be back in this area for their court date, they just all smiled real big and said, 'Si, senor,'" he said. "I'm sure most of these folks are hardworking people who are just trying to survive, but the laws are the laws."
Ernestina Fobbs, a public affairs officer at ICE headquarters in Washington, said the agency is trying to its best.
"We stopped the catch and release practice, and we are enforcing the laws, but it is an evolving process," she said. "We make the necessary changes so we can do our job better, but it's a process.
"As far as the Pittsburgh office is concerned, ICE has responded to 100 percent of the calls received from Ohio County and we do believe we have a good working relationship with them. But we do have do have to prioritize in order to make the best use of our resource. Our mission is to apprehend the most egregious offenders of the law."
Burgoyne would prefer to see arrested illegal immigrants transferred to facilities located near the Mexican-U.S. border and held for 90 days. Once that time periods passes, Burgoyne would have the offenders deported. A second offense would result in a one-year sentence.
"I say we send them to a 'tent city' where they would be fed three square meals a day and they would work for our country inside that facility," he said. "And the federal government should designate a time when all illegal immigrants in this country must register, and if they do not, they're fair game. Listen, I know the Democrats and Republicans have been fighting amongst themselves over this issue, and it is a problem that will never totally be fixed -- like the country's drug problem.
"But what happens if a team of illegal immigrants are sent to this country by someone evil, and they are sent with three separate suitcases and instructed to meet at a specified place. What happens if the contents of those suitcases can be combined to construct a dirty bomb or something?" Burgoyne said. "Really, the first question would be, 'Why hasn't this happened yet? The answer is that it has, but too many seem to have forgotten that the 9/11 hijackers were in this country illegally."
The Bush administration isn’t enforcing our immigration law? Shocker!
Not to worry, this will stop as soon as the feds make them all legal.
Wow. The sheets remain dirty all SUMMER? The dishes pile up in the sink? Are you saying that *gasp* AMERICAN'S do these jobs?????
“One thing that has been consistent in all the arrests I have made has been the stench inside the automobiles. The stench gets me every time and it’s because these folks don’t stop to bathe while they’re trying to cross the country without getting caught.
if washington DC were on the texas/arizona/Mexican border then we wouldnt be having this probelm
if washington DC were on the texas/arizona/Mexican border then we wouldnt be having this probelm. Cops should give these illegals a free bus trip to DC. Lets ship the problem to the politicans
Wheeling is in West Virginia. McCain/Arizona. The politicos do not care if it is in their backyard.
Have you been to the DC area? Its positively crawling with illegals. Just stop at any 7/11 before 10AM.
CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!
Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them.
When they build the Bullshitters hall of fame, this man will be one of the first members.
Wow, that's not how we learned it! Usted tiene el derecho de no decir nada ...."
Uh manos ariba! contra la pared! La plume de ma tante ....
>>Why? That’s a very good question since those rights are for Americans, and illegal immigrants are not Americans<<
Ooh, THERE’S the money shot!
Yup. While you’re noticing that, check out the insane quantities of snack cakes these guys consume. I think Twinkie the Kid may be a Bush co-conspirator.
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