Ohio sheriff rebuffs Mexican consulate warning

LIMA — After receiving a letter from the Mexican consulate warning him about profiling Mexicans, Sheriff Dan Beck said Monday his agency may increase enforcement against illegal immigrants. “If this is the type of attitude he wants, it appears he’s trying to coerce me into doing noth-ing. It tells me this is a more important issue. He just raised the priority here,” Beck said. Beck was talking about a letter he received from Antonio Meza, the consul for the Mexican Consulate in Detroit. The letter was sent to Beck last month after Beck announced a plan to train his deputies on recognizing fraudulent forms of identification. In the letter, Meza said he’s been informed that Beck’s agency is targeting Mexican nationals living and working in the area. He also said Beck’s officers have gone as far as to ask Mexicans for their immigration papers as they wait to be picked up by their employers. “I cannot see being an immigrant and a day laborer as reasons to be profiled,” Meza wrote. Meza went on to say Mexicans come to the community to work and do not cause problems. His office has advised Mexicans to respect and cooperate with police, he said. “However, if they begin to mistrust you and believe that you are not interested in solving crimes but acting as deputy of Immigrations agents, it will make everyone’s jobs more diffi-cult,” Meza wrote in the letter. Meza said a Mexican national includes an illegal immigrant. Beck said his deputies do not profile Mexicans and the letter is full of misstatements. Meza said he sent the letter after receiving complaints from two community organizations that deputies were using profiling to conduct traffic stops to ask for citizenship documents. Meza decline identify either group. Meza said he was only responding to claims made to him that he did not investigate. He said he was not trying to anger Beck and has not received another claim, he said. Meza’s letter came on the heels of Beck’s announcement to form a “working group” to ad-dress crime associated with illegal immigrants. Beck expressed his concerns after a triple fatal car crash July 24 involving illegal immigrants. He also was concerned after an accused child molester from Hamilton fled to Lima to avoid prosecution. Meza said Beck has not responded to his letter or extended an invitation to meet, as Meza requested in the Sept. 6 letter. Beck said he plans to send a letter in response but hasn’t gotten around to it, partly because he was out of the office for nearly two weeks. “He’s not a priority on my list. He’s not important to me. I’m not going to jump every time someone sends a letter to my office,” Beck said. “He needs to understand he’s a guest of the U.S. and he’s not going to prejudge someone the people of this county elected.” Beck said he has no problem with anyone in the country who is a citizen, but those who are not are violating the law, he said. Beck is concerned about the growing population of illegal immigrants in the community and fears it could bring an increase in violent crime, he said. He also is concerned with crime that is unreported to police, he said. “I’m talking about domestic violence, alcohol-related assaults, sexual-abuse situations,” he said.” Lima Municipal Court records do not show how many illegal immigrants go through the sys-tem but does show the amount of money spent on Spanish-speaking interpreters has increased in the past few years. In 2002, the court spent $466 on interpreters. Through August of this year, the court had spent $834, according to records. Municipal Judge William Lauber said the Spanish-speaking people appearing in his court are usually accused of the same crimes as anyone else appearing. Those include traffic violations and drunken driving, he said.

Beck responds to letter from Mexican consulate
By GREG SOWINSKI
419-993-2090
10/04/2005
gsowinski@limanews.com

   LIMA — After receiving a letter from the Mexican consulate warning him about profiling Mexicans, Sheriff Dan Beck said Monday his agency may increase enforcement against illegal immigrants.
   “If this is the type of attitude he wants, it appears he’s trying to coerce me into doing noth-ing. It tells me this is a more important issue. He just raised the priority here,” Beck said.
   Beck was talking about a letter he received from Antonio Meza, the consul for the Mexican Consulate in Detroit. The letter was sent to Beck last month after Beck announced a plan to train his deputies on recognizing fraudulent forms of identification.
   In the letter, Meza said he’s been informed that Beck’s agency is targeting Mexican nationals living and working in the area. He also said Beck’s officers have gone as far as to ask Mexicans for their immigration papers as they wait to be picked up by their employers.
   “I cannot see being an immigrant and a day laborer as reasons to be profiled,” Meza wrote.
   Meza went on to say Mexicans come to the community to work and do not cause problems. His office has advised Mexicans to respect and cooperate with police, he said.
   “However, if they begin to mistrust you and believe that you are not interested in solving crimes but acting as deputy of Immigrations agents, it will make everyone’s jobs more diffi-cult,” Meza wrote in the letter.
   Meza said a Mexican national includes an illegal immigrant.
   Beck said his deputies do not profile Mexicans and the letter is full of misstatements.
   Meza said he sent the letter after receiving complaints from two community organizations that deputies were using profiling to conduct traffic stops to ask for citizenship documents. Meza decline identify either group.
   Meza said he was only responding to claims made to him that he did not investigate. He said he was not trying to anger Beck and has not received another claim, he said.
   Meza’s letter came on the heels of Beck’s announcement to form a “working group” to ad-dress crime associated with illegal immigrants. Beck expressed his concerns after a triple fatal car crash July 24 involving illegal immigrants. He also was concerned after an accused child molester from Hamilton fled to Lima to avoid prosecution.
   Meza said Beck has not responded to his letter or extended an invitation to meet, as Meza requested in the Sept. 6 letter.
   Beck said he plans to send a letter in response but hasn’t gotten around to it, partly because he was out of the office for nearly two weeks.
   “He’s not a priority on my list. He’s not important to me. I’m not going to jump every time someone sends a letter to my office,” Beck said. “He needs to understand he’s a guest of the U.S. and he’s not going to prejudge someone the people of this county elected.”
   Beck said he has no problem with anyone in the country who is a citizen, but those who are not are violating the law, he said.
   Beck is concerned about the growing population of illegal immigrants in the community and fears it could bring an increase in violent crime, he said. He also is concerned with crime that is unreported to police, he said.
   “I’m talking about domestic violence, alcohol-related assaults, sexual-abuse situations,” he said.”
   Lima Municipal Court records do not show how many illegal immigrants go through the sys-tem but does show the amount of money spent on Spanish-speaking interpreters has increased in the past few years.
   In 2002, the court spent $466 on interpreters. Through August of this year, the court had spent $834, according to records.
   Municipal Judge William Lauber said the Spanish-speaking people appearing in his court are usually accused of the same crimes as anyone else appearing. Those include traffic violations and drunken driving, he said.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.