Free Republic

The woman who lived with Valentino Vasquez Miranda said he left her bed as her lover and returned an alleged killer, according to her testimony Friday in the case of an Alabama homecoming queen who was sodomized and slain inside a West Knox County motel room. Rosa Rodriquez Hernandez said she thought Miranda, her 19-year-old boyfriend and father of her 19-month-old daughter, had gone for a beer -Snip- "I woke up (as he was leaving)," she testified in Knox County General Sessions Court. "He asked me for the keys." Those keys included a master key card that allowed the pair...

Waukesha Police say an illegal alien has confessed to the sexual assault of a physically disabled woman. Police arrested Juan Carlos Rojas-Sierra, 34, who they say admitted to the crime. "He ended up confessing to breaking into the apartment and sexually assaulting this woman," said Waukesha Police Captain Mark Stigler. The crime occurred last month on the 2800 block of University Drive in Waukesha. "The suspect in this case actually lived in that area and had prior passing contact with the victim," states Stigler. "That's how she knew who she was and where she lived. "This is not a crime...

Overall, 16.5% of violent crimes in Maricopa County can be linked to illegal immigrants. The average cost for each offense? A whopping $20,000, which includes prosecution, incarceration, and other costs. This study breaks down felonies committed into categories, revealing that contrary to media myths, illegal immigrants commit more crimes in categories completely separate from the crime of illegally crossing the border.  The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has released a groundbreaking study with the help of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office breaking down the numbers of felonies illegal immigrants in Maricopa County commit. Contrary to media myths, illegal immigrants commit more felonies...

County Attorney Andrew Thomas released today the results of research by his office showing the illegal immigrant crisis is having a profound impact on crime... maricop county attorney's office

WASHINGTON (October 1, 2008) – A new Center for Immigration Studies Backgrounder finds that immigration law enforcement has been highly effective in fighting gang activity around the country. Local law enforcement agencies that shun involvement with immigration law enforcement are missing an opportunity to protect their communities, according to the authors. Since 2005, ICE has arrested more than 8,000 immigrant gangsters from more than 700 different gangs under an initiative known as Operation Community Shield. The Backgrounder,'Taking Back the Streets: ICE and Local Law Enforcement Target Immigrant Gangs,' by Jessica M. Vaughan and Jon D. Feere, was funded by the...

Worried wife turned over bloody clothes to police Bloody clothes, a used key card and a tip from a worried wife led Knoxville police to the man charged with strangling a former Alabama homecoming queen, court records revealed today. A fisherman found Jennifer Lee Hampton's nude body floating in Melton Hill Lake on Saturday, seven days after friends reported her missing from her West Knoxville motel room. Valentino Vasquez Miranda, 19, who's described by police as an illegal immigrant, faces a charge of first-degree murder in her death. Authorities served him with the warrant this morning in jail. The charges...

Border patrol agents in the Tucson sector said the 262 miles along Arizona’s border with Mexico can be downright dangerous for them. Surveillance cameras show people on the Mexican side of the border hurling rocks over the fence at agents. “It's a major problem and it's increasing, said Agent Mike Scioli. "That's the danger of it." According to Scioli, assaults against border patrol agents are up 22 percent from last year. He blames frustrated human smugglers. "Now we have more manpower, the fencing is up and the technology,” said Scioli. “It's made their job a lot more difficult." Pictures provided...

An illegal immigrant who struck a Hanover woman with his vehicle then fled to Mexico will spend up to two years in prison after pleading guilty in York County court. Alejandro Aleman, 35, whose last known address was in the 100 block of Lincoln Way East in New Oxford, was charged after police said he struck 69-year-old Esther V. Rodgers in his 1993 Ford Mustang on Feb. 25 in the 400 block of Baltimore Street in Hanover. The crash left Rodgers with a broken right leg and skull fractures. She remained in a coma at York Hospital for several weeks....

"It's a direct correlation," said Rep. Russell Pearce. The latest FBI crime reports show an overall decrease in violent crime around the Phoenix area in 2007 and some observers believe it's the result of illegal aliens leaving Arizona for other states, like Texas. Based on data from 18 jurisdictions in metro Phoenix, violent crimes and property crimes both decreased 0.3 percent. The city of Phoenix saw the same decrease in total crimes as the overall area, with a 0.3 percent decrease in total violent crimes and a 0.3 percent decrease in total property crimes. Texas had over 1,000 more violent...

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Surf City police have referred 262 suspected illegal immigrants arrested in connection with various crimes to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as part of a relationship police established more than a year ago. Those who were referred to ICE for detention were arrested from March 2007 to August of this year on suspicion of endangering the public’s safety by committing crimes such as burglary, assault or driving under the influence, Huntington Beach police officials said. Huntington Beach police typically made 450 arrests a month during that same time period. ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said any local...

PHOENIX - That empty foreclosed home down the street today could be a haven for immigrant smugglers tomorrow. A comparison of data on foreclosures and properties known as drophouses in the Phoenix metropolitan area shows that wherever homeowners are in financial distress, ‘‘coyotes’’ are probably lurking. The smugglers use rental homes known as drophouses to stash illegal immigrants long enough for payments to arrive, then release them to go on their way. The largest concentrations of Phoenix-area drophouses are in the same neighborhoods that have the largest share of foreclosures, the data shows. In addition, of the 41 Phoenix-area drophouses...

While illegal aliens flee strict immigration enforcement policies in several states and settle in Texas, the state's budget is suffering and violent crime, soaring. News reports indicate a flood of illegal aliens is coming from states such as Arizona and Oklahoma – where immigration crackdowns have made life more difficult for them. In the meantime, Texas' violent crime rates have taken a turn for the worse. WND researched FBI crime statistics from years 2006 to 2007 for 29 of Texas' largest cities with populations of more than 100,000. The Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report reveals two of the state's well-known...

Terrance Aeriel, 18, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Iofemi Hightower, 20 Murdered, execution-style, for the crime of being black. Murdered as a part of an enthic-cleansing program being run by Mexican gangs here in the U.S., with operational control coming from a criminal syndicate in Mexico. The plan? To clear neighborhoods of blacks so that they will be 100% hispanic. No, it's not a joke. It's not overwrought xenophobia (something for which this site is NOT known.) It's very very real, and Harvey, Hightower, and Aeriel and his sister are not the only victims.Michelle Malkin, bless her, has been staying...

NEWARK, N.J. — Three men and three teenagers were indicted Monday on murder and other charges for the execution-style slayings that shocked New Jersey's largest city more than a year ago. The grand jury charged all six suspects, who have reputed links to the MS-13 street gang, with murder, attempted murder, robbery and weapons offenses related to the Aug. 4, 2007 killings. Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow said the indictments took a year because charges against the three teens were upgraded from juvenile to adult court, and because multiple agencies worked together to make sure the case was airtight Those...

An illegal alien been denied bond for a horrific and heinous crime against two elderly women, ages 99- and 81-years old. Jose Corrales, 33, is charged with two counts of sexual battery, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of occupied burglary with battery. The first incident occurred on June 22nd, when Corrales, an illegal alien working as a roofer, spotted the 99-year old woman while she was taking out her trash. Police say he had a brief conversation with her then followed her back to the front door and forced his way in. The frail 99-year old woman attempted...

SAN FRANCISCO -- An immigrant suspected of being in the United States illegally - freed after being shielded from possible deportation by San Francisco officials despite committing two gang-related assaults as a juvenile - faces charges that he tried to stab a man to death last year in San Mateo County, authorities say. The case of Eric Antonio Uc-Cahun, now 19, a native of Mexico, is the second in which a youthful offender protected from deportation in San Francisco has later been arrested for a violent crime as an adult. The San Mateo County stabbing was especially vicious, authorities said...

PHOENIX -- The fastest-growing gang in the world is coming to Arizona -- a trend that makes federal agents along the U.S.-Mexico border uncomfortable. Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, is known for its violence and guerilla warfare training, experts said. "From Oct. 1 until the end of July we've seen over 50 different people involved in not only MS-13, but a number of different gangs affiliated with them," Scioli said. "Just in the past week we've had five." According to law enforcement personnel, MS-13 members come to Arizona because its position on the border makes it a hot spot for drugs...

An Owasso man is searching for answers after his wife's death in a hit-and-run accident. As a former police officer and fire chief, Bob Shouse believes that when a driver leaves the scene of an accident, that alone is cause for an arrest. That's why he can't understand why the man who fled after crashing an SUV into his wife's motorcycle, causing her death, was never taken into custody and now might have left the country. "My wife and I had a relationship that most people dream for," said Shouse, who lives in Owasso. "The whole family is in shock,...

ERWIN — Two Hispanic men on their way to Knoxville as part of the deportation process were released Tuesday before they arrived, Unicoi County authorities said Thursday. County Jailer Rita Williams said superiors of two Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees ordered Gregorio Estala Rodriguez and Primitivo Estala Rodriguez to be let go because the New Orleans office, where the men eventually were headed, had been closed temporarily due to Hurricane Gustav. “It’s frustrating for us to know that we got illegal aliens that are breaking the law,” Sheriff Kent Harris said Thursday. “That’s a group we don’t want to have...

A car driven by a drunk driving suspect with four previous DWI arrests raced away from a sheriff's deputy, ran a red light then went airborne after a wreck and landed on top of an SUV, killing a newlywed couple inside, authorities said. Second-grade teacher Erika Clouet, 24, and her husband of a little over a month, construction worker and aspiring musician German Clouet, 23, of Irving, were killed in the accident early Monday. The driver, Uriel Perez Palacios, 22, of Dallas, remained in the hospital Tuesday. His passenger had to be cut from the vehicle and was also hospitalized....

NEAR MISSION - Police say a suspected illegal immigrant working for a Democratic state representative brutally beat another man to death with a bat Monday morning. Froylen Casares, 24, was working at a ranch owned by state Rep. Kino Flores near the intersection of North Tropser and Yukon Roads when he killed a young Hispanic male whose name authorities have not released, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño. "It was a very bloody, very bloody, very gruesome crime scene," Treviño said. Authorities continue to search for Casares, of Honduras, who fled the scene before they arrived at about 5:30 a.m....

A showdown over drug money between suspected Mexican illegal aliens in Alabama ended with four men in prison and four shipped back to Mexico in body bags. Three suspected illegal aliens from Mexico and another man have been arrested and charged with capital murder for electrocuting, stabbing, suffocating and beating five men to death in a murder-for-hire. The four suspects were paid between $400,000 and $450,000 to torture the victims with electric shock and slit their throats in an Alabama apartment, police said Tuesday. The murders have been tied to a drug cartel that transports cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, the...

MARLIN- A 13-year-old girl is back with her family after she was kidnapped Sunday evening by an illegal immigrant. Marlin Police said Jesus Diaz-Lopez convinced the girl to get in his car before traveling to North Carolina Sunday evening. The girl was found Monday around 8:30 p.m. in Berryville, Ark. with Diaz. He has been charged with sexual assault of a child and kidnapping. Police also say Diaz, who is between the ages of 18 and 26, could also be face charges of taking a minor across state lines. Diaz is being held in the Carroll County Jail with a...

A San Francisco court set aside a drug-trafficking case Monday against a 14-year-old Honduran immigrant - a ruling that juvenile justice officials fear will undermine Mayor Gavin Newsom's new policy requiring that such offenders be held for possible deportation.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's call for a federal probe received a curt reply from the Hillsborough sheriff's office. TAMPA - Politically motivated and naive is how Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee described a congresswoman's call for a federal investigation after last week's arrest of a Mexican national in rape cases. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite said Sunday that she wants a review of the interactions between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in connection with the arrest of Rigoberto Moron Martinez. Investigators said that Martinez, 20, was responsible in the Aug. 15 attack at The Docks restaurant in Apollo Beach...

MESA - The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit arrested and booked into jail 24-year-old Jesus Martinez (DOB 06/15/84) on 1 count of child molestation, a class two felony and on four counts of sexual abuse, class three felonies. Sheriff’s deputies began investigating the sexual abuse and molestation after the young victim’s mother found the 24-year-old illegal alien and the child kissing after the twelve-year-old left home, without permission to meet with him, at a late hour. The victim told her mother that Martinez took her next to a tractor and began kissing her on the mouth and neck....

U.S. officials have arrested a man in East Los Angeles who is suspected in the gruesome 1998 killing of 19 men, women and children in Baja California...... Mancada, 33, is accused of being one of several military-clad gunmen who stormed a ranch in El Sauzal, near Ensenada, on Sept. 17, 1998, pulled victims from their beds, herded them onto a patio and shot them to death. Among the victims were children ages 2 and 1. ... Mancada, 33, told U.S. immigration officials that he crossed into San Ysidro in December 1998 and spent the last decade living in California and...

91 percent of readers think S.F. mayor should be charged VICTORVILLE — Local leaders are condemning the San Francisco mayor’s decision to dump illegal alien probationers in the San Bernardino Group homes, and some believe he should be criminally charged. “The actions of Mayor (Gavin) Newsom are unconscionable and a violation of this oath of office where he swore to; uphold and defend the constitution of the United States,” said Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita. “As to whether he should be charged with obstruction of justice, that’s a legal question better answered by the United States Attorney General.” Rep....

SPRINGFIELD - The owner of Toni's Family Restaurant in Mount Clare pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to unlawful employment of illegal aliens. Besim Tabaku, 34, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Gentiana, 31, is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Byron C. Cudmore on Oct. 23. Authorities confirmed to The Telegraph in May that two federal search warrants were executed (at Toni's Family Restaurant and a Benld residence) on May 28, resulting in four Mexican nationals being taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on suspicion of immigration violations. However, ICE spokeswoman...

SEGUNDO PENAFIEL Sought in grisly murder. A Queens mom was hacked to death by her ex-boyfriend, screaming for help for more than a half-hour before neighbors called cops. Police found Ebony Garcia, 21, lying in a pool of blood inside her cousin Tracy Rivera's apartment. She died a short time later. Sources said Garcia ran into the old boyfriend, Segundo Penafiel, 25, at a club and the pair left together. At about 1:30 am, Garcia, who has a 3-year-old daughter, called a cousin in Florida and told her that she was scared because Penafiel, who has a history of...

A wave of illegal-immigrant gang rapes is sweeping the U.S. while public officials and law-enforcement authorities fear drawing the link, experts say. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, a Ph.D. researcher of violent crimes, told WorldNetDaily, "It appears as if there is a fear that if this is honestly discussed, people will hate all illegal immigrants. So there is silence. … But in being silent about the rapes and murders, it is as if the victims never even existed." Schurman-Kauflin, who runs the Violent Crimes Institute in Atlanta, participated in a 12-month, in-depth study of illegal immigrants who committed sex crimes and murders from...

A Federal Way father admitted his drunkenness caused the death of his baby boy, when he allowed the infant to fall into a fire pit and burn to death, reported KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. Alberto Rios pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in court Tuesday. In doing so, Rios has been advised that he will go to prison and will then be deported, as he is in the U.S. illegally. "I woke up startled and noticed the children were gone," said Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong as she read Rios’ statement. “We had beer and I consumed six to nine beers...

<p>Police made an arrest Tuesday night in the drag racing accident that shut down part of Interstate 85 during the morning rush hour.</p> <p>Police said the crash sent an innocent victim to the hospital with serious injuries.</p> <p>Police have confirmed the arrest of a 24-year-old man who they said was the behind the wheel of a car -- drag racing at high speeds -- on Interstate 85 near Union City Tuesday morning.</p>

SAN FRANCISCO -- A suspected illegal immigrant - free after being shielded from deportation by San Francisco officials despite committing two gang-related assaults as a juvenile - is now facing charges that he tried to stab a man to death in San Mateo County, authorities say. The case of Eric Antonio Uc-Cahun, now 19, is the second in which a youth offender protected from deportation in San Francisco has gone on to be arrested for a violent crime as an adult. The San Mateo County stabbing was especially vicious, authorities said - a top prosecutor said the victim had been...

Two illegal aliens were taken into custody Saturday night when they couldn’t provide identification and were in possession of cocaine. Officers with the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department were searching for a wanted person at a Rail Road Street residence when they found Gregorio E. Rodriguez, 32, of Harris Trailer Park in Erwin and Primitivo E. Rodriguez, 21, 400 Rail Road St., Erwin. Gregorio Rodriguez was operating a motor vehicle and drinking a Bud Light beer, Sheriff Kent Harris said in his report. He was questioned about the wanted person who was reportedly at the residence. He refused search of the...

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A city man was arrested Thursday night after police say he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl after driving her and several friends to a McDonald's restaurant. Angel DeLeon, 26, of 35 McGee St., refused the girls' request to drive them home and instead pulled over on McGee Street, authorities said. "At one point in time, the defendant stops, with the windows up and doors locked, and attempted to kiss (the girl)," Assistant District Attorney Erin Bell said during DeLeon's arraignment in Marlborough District Court. "The alleged victim pushed him off, and he continued." DeLeon then tried to...

More than six years after they arrested the wrong man for beating and raping a 94-year-old woman, Palo Alto police believe they have now arrested the right one. Roberto Cruz Recendes, 40, of Mexico is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in a Palo Alto courthouse, the Mercury News has learned. Recendes, who was extradited from his native country back to Palo Alto, will be charged with sexual penetration against a victim's will by force and causing great bodily harm to an elderly person. Palo Alto police took custody of him in Los Angeles. --snip-- It was possibly the culmination...

EL PASO, Texas -- FBI and Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican citizen for assaulting a Border Patrol agent near the Bridge of the Americas on Wednesday, FBI officials said Thursday. FBI officials said 28-year-old Erick Diaz-Becerril was attempting to cross into the United States illegally near the bridge when he was stopped by a Border Patrol agent. Diaz-Becerril tried to resist arrest and injured the agent, officials said. He is charged with one count of assault on a federal officer. He will appear in the court of U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Mesa, and if convicted, he could face up...

A murder suspect wanted by Abilene police for more than two months was arrested late Wednesday night at the U.S.-Mexican border, according to the police department. Joe Guadalupe Rangel, 26, who is accused of murder in connection with the May death of 29-year-old Albert Cadena, showed either a driver's license or a passport at the U.S. point of entry after returning from Mexico. Border officials there discovered the active murder warrant and took him to the Hidalgo County Jail, a jail officer there said. Rangel also faces a charge of cocaine possession. Cadena's body was found in a North Abilene...

Dozens of illegal immigrant gang members from Mexico and other countries have been swept up in the past two weeks by federal agents and Twin Cities-area police, officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Thursday. Called Operation Community Shield, the ongoing effort netted 50 arrests, including 35 gang members and seven gang associates from 10 Twin Cities-area gangs. Of the 50 arrested, 38 are illegal immigrants, said ICE spokesman Tim Counts. Participating law-enforcement agencies also arrested 10 U.S. citizens and two permanent residents, also known as green-card holders, on various state and federal charges, including weapons possession,...

GRAHAM - The arrest of five men for fishing without a license has many people in Graham talking. And while these types of arrests are not common in Alamance County, N.C. Wildlife Commission officers say they are not all that unusual. According to court documents, Juan Carlos Arias, 23; Jose Ernesto, 21; Javier Jimenez, 30; Edwin Alexander Marquez Rosa, 26; and Antonio Ordaz, 34, all of Kernersville, were arrested Aug. 6 at around 8:30 p.m. by N.C. Wildlife Resources officer J.R. Brown and charged with fishing without a license and a wildlife violation (taking non-game fish by an authorized method)....

ELKHART — A man accused of stealing a full-automatic rifle from a Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department squad vehicle in June was arrested last week. Jesse M. Leal, 32,(see photo) of Elkhart, has been charged with possession of a machine gun, a Class C felony, and theft, a Class D felony. He faces up to 11 years if convicted. His bond has been set at $150,000. Authorities say they received information Leal had the M-16 military-style rifle, which was locked and secured in the squad vehicle, while they were investigating a "Mexican cocaine importation and distribution ring" that has so far...

The city council of Hartford, Conn., has unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits police and city employees from asking people about their immigration status. The ordinance would bar police from arresting or detaining any person on the sole grounds that immigration authorities had issued an administrative warrant for them. Councilman Luis Cotto, who introduced the ordinance, said it was needed so that illegal immigrants would be willing to cooperate with police in criminal investigations without fear of deportation. At a public hearing Monday before the vote, no one spoke out against the ordinance, but anti-illegal immigration groups see problems with...

Hearing from dozens of residents fed up with crimes committed by gang members who are illegal immigrants, the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday asked Sheriff Lee Baca to prioritize and consider expanding a controversial inmate deportation program. Since the program started about two years ago, sheriff's officials trained by federal agents to screen for illegal immigrants in the jails have interviewed more than 20,000 inmates and referred more than 11,000 to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation. Under the Tuesday motion, the board asked Baca to direct the 12 custody assistants conducting immigration interviews to give the...

U.S. Border Patrol Agents are Still in Prison! Call the White House and Tell President Bush to Pardon Ramos and Compean! On February 17, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were guarding the Mexican border near El Paso, TX when they intercepted a van carrying 743 pounds of marijuana. They attempted to prevent a Mexican drug-smuggler from crossing the border and illegally entering the United States. After the U.S. government intervened and granted immunity and a temporary visa to the illegal drug-smuggler in exchange for testimony against Ramos and Compean, the two border guards were convicted...

"Where you from?" An illegal alien from Mexico, Pedro Espinoza, allegedly asked that of Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17 -- before Espinoza shot and killed him. Shaw, a promising high-school student athlete wooed by Stanford and Rutgers, was gunned down at 8:40 p.m. just three doors from his Los Angeles home, where his father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., awaited his arrival from the mall. Shaw's mother, Anita, learned the news of her son's March 2 shooting death while serving as an Army sergeant in Iraq. Edwin Ramos, an illegal alien from El Salvador, on June 22 allegedly gunned down and killed Tony...

By Michelle Malkin  •  August 12, 2008 11:38 AM Remember the Jeep Jihadi who attempted to mow down students at UNC-Chapel Hill in the name of Allah two years ago in a botched attempt to “avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world”? He finally pleaded guilty this morning to nine counts of attempted first-degree murder.Hat tip - Bob Owens.Reminder: A suspect who is accused of hitting students with a sport utility vehicle at the University of North Carolina made his first court appearance Monday.Mohammad Taheri-azar, a 2005 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, smiled and waved before his hearing Monday. Taheri-azar told the...

Jesus Navarro Montes, the man accused of running over and killing Yuma sector border agent Luis Aguilar, has been set free by an unidentified Mexican judge. On January 19th, Aguilar was killed while attempting to stop two vehicles that illegally entered the country. Shortly after the incident, Montes was quickly apprehended by authorities and sent to a jail in Mexico. Upon learning the news that Montes was let go, Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Paul Beeson expressed his disgust with the decision saying in part, "I am outraged that this suspect was released from custody. The men and women of...

Vallejo, already in an economic tailspin, has lost about 20 percent of its police force since the city began its slide into bankruptcy. About 25 of its 150 or so sworn officers have retired or left for other cities, afraid their pensions or salaries may be slashed if a federal bankruptcy court allows the city to void its union contracts. "It's a tragic loss for this city," said Vallejo police Lt. Don Hendershot. "We've lost a lot of dedicated, experienced officers. It's very sad seeing these guys go, but I understand why they're leaving." The North Bay city of 117,000...

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Illegal immigrants arrested in workplace raids can now access a fund to help them post bond. The National Immigrant Bond Fund launched its national debut and fundraising campaign on Monday. Founder Bob Hildreth said Monday the goal is to raise $500,000. Through the fund, illegal immigrants arrested in raids who do not have any outstanding criminal violations can apply for financial assistance. Churches, legal organizations or community groups help facilitate their requests. The fund provides half the bail money and immigrants must pony up the rest.