Posted on 05/16/2005 11:05:35 PM PDT by churchillbuff
The shooting death of a Denver police officer is sparking a fight over immigration reform.
The suspect, Raul Garcia-Gomez was in the United States illegally at the time Detective Donald Young was killed. That has stoked the debate on immigration and whether Denver has become a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.
On Monday a group that wants to reform immigration laws held a rally at the City and County Building. They believe the door should be shut tight to illegal immigrants.
They insist that if Garcia-Gomez had been turned over to immigration authorities when stopped on traffic offenses, Young might be alive today.
Protestors claim Denver is a "sanctuary city" for undocumented workers, something the current city administration denies.
"The city of Denver complies with federal immigration law, which has been confirmed by federal officials at the Department of Immigration and Customs enforcement," mayoral spokeswoman Lindy Eichenbaum Lent said.
The suspected police killer worked at a restaurant owned by Mayor John Hickenlooper. There, he presented a social security card and alien registration so he could work as a dishwasher. The restaurant management said it had no reason to believe they were fake.
On Monday protestors delivered a letter to the mayor saying they want a "get tough" policy on undocumented workers.
"We the people will no longer tolerate federal open border policies and local sanctuary policies in our cities," Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform spokesman Fred Elbel said.
Denver's police policy manual says immigration matters are left to the federal goverment and that determining one's immigration status is not something police should initiate. The city attorney told CBS4 this policy is no different that most every other city in the country.
When Hickenlooper took over as mayor, he put all his restaurants and bars into a blind trust. Hickenlooper does not have an active roll in their day-to-day business.
Why has GEORGE BUSH DECIDED TO INVITE THE MEXICAN UNDERCLASS INTO AMERICA?
WILL THE BUSH POLICY OF GREEN-LIGHTING THE ILLEGAL INVASION DESTROY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?
Something you forgot to mention in your description of the events: The restuarant was notified about a month before the shooting that this man was using a fake SS #. They should have done something about it then also.
Why has GWB agreed to support hospitals in the US with our tax dollars for treatment of illegal aliens, last week or the week before, but shut down VA Hospitals for Viet Nam- era Vets in 2002. I still have the letter.
This wasn't reported in the article I posted. Is it a verified fact? If so, is the media downplaying it? Trying to save the Democratic mayor's butt?
Good question. Why is Bush cool with American cities becoming Tijuanas North? Crime, political corruption and filthy surroundings is what you find when you go to Mexico. Do we want to import this culture to the US by allowing mass immigration of illegals? Why does this not concern Bush? WHY IS HE ALLOWING IT?
I believe that this is the question of the year. Now, I am very concerned about our returning WOUNDED American Veterans, and whether or not they are recieving adequate and TIMELY medical care, and I have heard that there are problems there, getting the wounded treated quickly, and of course, these vets are priority 1, but I believe that this nation has an obligation to ALL of it's vets, and since Sept 2002 our nation's veterans are being refused treatment at VA Hospitals. WHY is Bush doing this to our Veterans?
Haven't you heard, Mr. Elbel? "We the people" don't matter to the politicians who fear that they may lose one Hispanic vote by standing up to the illegal alien invasion.
A smaller government nos not mean a smaller border patrol.
This wasn't reported in the article I posted. Is it a verified fact? If so, is the media downplaying it? Trying to save the Democratic mayor's butt?
Here is some information from an article that mentions the fake IDs. The link for the article is at the end of this excerpt if you want to read the whole thing.
Slaying Suspect Worked at Hickenlooper Eatery
May 11, 2005
A man suspected in the killing of a cop and the target of a massive manhunt worked with false documentation at the Cherry Cricket, a restaurant co-owned by Mayor John Hickenlooper, police said Tuesday.
Lee Driscoll, the mayor's business partner [and president of the Wynkoop Brewing Co., the parent company of the mayor's restaurants], said Tuesday that the company learned last month that Garcia-Gomez provided the restaurant with two forms of identification, but the Social Security number he provided turned out to be false.
Driscoll said Garcia-Gomez's name was on a list he receives annually from the Social Security Administration. It indicated Garcia-Gomez's information did not match its records.
Cherry Cricket managers told police that Garcia-Gomez presented a resident-alien card when he applied for the job, according to a police source close to the investigation. The card was handed over Monday and gave the police their first photo of the suspect - albeit an unclear one.
"You could see that this card was fake," said the police source, who added that the card was falling apart and typewritten.
Driscoll said he believed the restaurant complied with the letter of the law. It took a copy of Garcia-Gomez's Social Security card and a copy of his resident-alien card that appeared to be in order and legal. The card included his photo, fingerprint and a seal from the U.S. Department of Justice that appeared official.
Driscoll said the company is currently meeting with the management of all its restaurants to provide them with a list of workers whose information did not match Social Security's records, but had not yet met with the Cherry Cricket's management.
Driscoll said the restaurants in Hickenlooper's trust employ more than 500 employees in an industry in which turnover is common. "Everyone knows there's an issue of illegal aliens working a bunch of jobs in this country, and particularly in the restaurant business," he said.
http://insidedenver.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3768485,00.html
Hey Republican politicans these VA Vets are voters. Get smart help them out, it's your job.
With all due respect the SSA never informs an employer that a SS number is "fake", only that is doesn't match person 'X'. I'd also have to assume that it was in response to the "I-9" Employment Eligibility Verification form that everyone has to fill out when first hired that came back 'unmatched'.
Also, and again no offense is meant - but on our own wonderful DOJ website, it WARNS employers that just because a SS number comes back 'unmatched', or any other ID furnished by a job applicant, it doesn't mean that a person is an illegal. It also WARNS the employer that if said employee is wrongly DISMISSED, they will face prosecution for employment discrimination by the Department of Justice.
I wish I was kidding, but alas, I'm not. About a month ago I spent a Saturday reading the DOJ website and the Dept of Labor. Bottom line is that an "immigrant", even an ILLEGAL ONE, has more employment 'rights' than U.S. born citizens. This is why the illegals are able to work. Once they submit 'their' ID, they're pretty much guaranteed a job as an employer is NOT going to take a chance on firing someone and then be prosecuted by the DOJ. Not to mention being sued into oblivion by "Immigrant Rights Groups".
bump
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