88-CRIME Offers Cash For Border-Crossing Tips

Arizona Daily Star ^ | April 30, 2004 | Michael Marizco

[DumpsterDiver]

The county's anonymous tipster line that pays rewards for information that helps solve crimes will now offer cash for incidents related to illegal immigration.

88-CRIME announced Thursday that it has expanded its services to the U.S. Border Patrol in hopes that Arizonans will report smugglers, vehicles carrying illegal border crossers and people who might have kidnapped illegal entrants. 88-CRIME is the anonymous tip line of the Pima County Attorney's Office.

The new effort is making some Tucsonans who work with immigrants uneasy.

They worry Hispanics will become instant suspects, causing a flurry of racial profiling in hopes of snagging cash rewards.

The Mexican government applauds the program - so long as the situation doesn't get out of hand.

"It's a benefit, disrupting the smuggling lines and attacking the safe houses, because those are all part of the problem," said Miguel Escobar, the Mexican consul in Douglas.

"But we don't want to see a medium brought in to combat serious problems turned into a situation where people are being detained for the color of their skin. I'm hoping we will not navigate in those very troubled waters," he said.

Officials with both 88-CRIME and the Border Patrol said they are not interested in having illegal border crossers being turned in.

"We're not looking for people calling to say there's UDAs walking down the road," said John Fitzpatrick, the acting assistant chief patrol agent for the Tucson sector, using the acronym for undocumented aliens. "That will help to discourage the racially motivated calls."

He pointed to specific tips people should be looking for, including:

-- Houses with large numbers of cars coming and going at all hours.

-- Dozens of people arriving at homes, then disappearing.

-- People who tipsters think might be people-smugglers.

"The more eyes and ears we have, the more it will help law enforcement in Arizona," said Dale Brown, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant special agent in charge in Tucson. "We need the help of the public."

About 30 percent of the calls the Border Patrol receives through its toll-free number, 877-USBP-HELP, lead to uncovering safe houses, homes used to house illegal entrants before moving them to other cities, Fitzpatrick said.

He hopes the 88-CRIME involvement will raise the number of safe houses the agency busts.

Such tips could lead to unwarranted problems for Hispanics or motorists whose vehicles carry Mexican license plates, a member of a local human-rights group said.

"I think it's going to result in people being suspicious of each other and snooping around each other," said Kat Rodriguez of Derechos Humanos. "It's going to definitely play on racial stereotypes."

The critics' critics say they're being "thin-skinned."

"All I know is, there are too many illegal aliens. Anything we can do to further the process of catching these people, arresting them and taking care of them, I'm all for it," said Wes Bramhall, head of Arizonans for Immigration Control. "If people want to be thin-skinned, so be it," he said.

Since January, 88-CRIME has turned over about 50 calls to the Border Patrol in Southern Arizona, about 10 percent of which resulted in convictions and payoffs, said Gary Dhaemers, 88-CRIME's executive director.

By comparison, last year the organization fielded a small handful of calls that were turned over to the federal immigration officials. That's due in large part to a reorganization last year in which the Immigration and Naturalization Service was disbanded and housed under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, leaving confusion over which agency should receive such tips.

"During that transition period, it was difficult to find somebody to get the information to," Dhaemers said. "Now it's going where it's supposed to go."

Contact reporter Michael Marizco at 573-4213 or mmarizco@azstarnet.com

[TheSpottedOwl]

Perhaps Mr. Tancredo needs to join Free Republic. Of course we're all well aware of the kind of workload he has, since I believe he actually does his job....unlike some reps and congress critters.

I guess our job is to keep him pointed in the right direction.

[cyborg]

exactly

[NewRomeTacitus]

That was another surprise. "Free Republic. I've heard of them but I'm not sure what they're about.."

That's awful considering the support he has here (and I said that). I was just getting into that when the man's "minder" (an anorexic-looking sycophant) rushed in and got upset that the likes of me was dominating his master's time. I left to avoid any embarassments.

You guys are right; Mr. T. needs to be plugged into this site and on specific ping lists before his opponents use information he's not aware of against him.

Where are the Colorado Freepers on this, anyway? Isn't this their job?

[Travis McGee]

Very true!

[cyborg]

Really? I find that hard to believe. He really isn't familiar with FR? He must be REALLY busy then.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Good lord you guys are fast!

It's true. He lamented that he would have run for the Senate seat Nighthorse-Campbell was vacating if:

1.His wife wasn't so worried about assassination, and

2.The 14 million dollars needed to defeat the Colorado Democratic governors' hand-picked boy.

The choice seemed to be between raising funds for that run or being where he needs to be in this issue battle. I have never before been so thankful for being "just a little guy" than I was seeing the conflict etched on his face. Then he said consideration for his wife's concerns was the prevailing factor. I had to turn away for a moment, you know? Who can see the likes of Ted Kennedy doing that?

[cyborg]

Who wants to asassinate him? I have an idea but was wondering he mentioned anything. Ted Kennedy is a pile of shark chum who I have ZERO respect for. He may well be better where he is or maybe not. Either way, no one is listening :( Way cool that you met him though.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Mr. Tancredo can access a lot of resources from this site, especially the ping lists. He'll get more info here, than he'll probably get from his staffers.

[NewRomeTacitus]

The government of Mexico, the hardcore Aztlan devotees, the drug lords, the people smugglers/slavers, terrorists disliking how he points out their easiest avenue here, perhaps even the Free Traders (NWO) who resent his pointing out how the U.S. is always getting screwed by the treaties and agreements they promote so strenuously. I got the distinct impression that this was far more than a worry on his part. When I voiced these concerns he put on a happy face and offered to refresh my drink. I declined and asked him to enhance his security every way possible. He chuckled but thought about it. That's when the aide came in and I left.

[cyborg]

You did him a world of good. ONE can be a very lonely number. It's good that he knows there are people who appreciate him, what he's doing,etc.

[Missouri]

Who wants to asassinate him?

Check this out.

Thread on death threats

Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher may not be Tom Tancredo but he is in Tom's Immigration Reform Caucus. If we ever got control of our borders, a lot of drug gangsters would be out a lot of money.

[cyborg]

Lots of drugs, lots of business lost when coyotes can't move their 'goods'... I do not doubt it.

[Missouri]

written letters mailed on paper get more attention now due to email being abused so badly, so write away.

I've heard that to. I guess its easier to shoot of a quick e-mail than it is to write out a letter but we have to start getting our politicians attention on this matter.

Glad you had a talk with Mr. Tancredo. He'd like our immigration threads here on the FR.

[DumpsterDiver]

I've heard that to [written letters mailed get more attention]. I guess its easier to shoot off a quick e-mail than it is to write out a letter...

We could always print out the same text we e-mail (or Fax) and snail mail it as a follow-up. Calls never hurt either.

...but we have to start getting our politicians attention on this matter.

Short of treating them like a pinata on fiesta day, what more can we do? If their handlers/staffers keep things from them then we are SOL.

[Missouri]

Exactly.

Add the radical/leftwing Azteclanders in the mix you have a quite volatile bunch capable of violence.

[cyborg]

Mechista Cruz... I wonder what he's been up to? Hmmmmm...

[Missouri]

I got a letter from Senator Kit Bond this week pertaining to the e-mail I sent him months ago about President Bush's guest worker program. He basically said that its made the situation worse by encouraging people to come here illegally and this makes a statement that the U.S. is not committed to fully enforcing our immigration laws. From what I heard on local talk radio, our other senator, Jim Talent has said the same thing. Both say that they are interested on beginning a debate on the subject. I'm thinking about posting the whole letter here on the FR latter.

I think they've found out that most of us want our borders tightly regulated and illegals deported. I'm hoping that my two senators will oppose any pro-illegal legislation. For now, I'm hopeful.

[Missouri]

Mechista Cruz

Haven't heard a word out of him lately have we? I guess he's keeping a low profile after a humiliating defeat.

[cyborg]

Good BWAHAHAHAHAHA

[NewRomeTacitus]

I took your suggestions to heart and asked Tom Tancredo to join this site through his own.:

Sir, we spoke in the hotel bar after your excellent address to the Tennesseeans for Reform of Immigration Policies April 3rd (I was the downsized IT guy who faces down rowdy Mexicans in his parking lot for blaring their music). I was surprised that you weren't more in touch with the conservative Free Republic website, as at least 90% of us stand behind your positions and greatly admire your efforts to reform broken government policies.

After recounting your speech several members remarked that you could benefit by checking in on our immigration and education threads, as we seek out, keep up with and post articles that the mainstream media seems to neglect or outright suppress. Our site is already frequented by others in service to our government and members of the media and entertainment community because their real identities are protected by the sites policies. Founder Jim Robinson has designed a forum that balances privacy with freedom of information and this system has provided amazing avenues of information from its many learned members. It has evolved so much that many Google searches now list Free Republic entries in their results.

On behalf of our members I sincerely ask that you join us and benefit from the pooled knowledge and drift of conservative opinion that Free Republic offers. You can represent yourself as yourself or "lie low" as an interested observer; it's up to you. If nothing else it will provide a much-needed laugh at the end of the day (thanks to jokers like me running amok).

Seriously, though, we're really just a group of patriots trying to help America survive in the face of mounting anti-American efforts to bring our country down. We recocognize that you share those same feelings and could really use your input and reciprical support. That's at FreeRepublic.com, home of your biggest fan base. May God bless you, man, and keep up the good fight.

- Mikel T****** aka NewRome Tacitus (name adopted because of barbarians at the gate)

We need all the help we can get. Stay healthy good people.