Posted on 10/22/2005 12:06:44 AM PDT by dennisw
Murders of immigrants help prompt lawsuit against Homeland Security By ROSA RAMIREZ Hispanic Link News Service October 20, 2005
- The recent murders of six Mexican workers in Georgia underline various social issues facing immigrants, including inadequate housing and a lack of trust of financial institutions and local authorities.
Responding to these and other atrocities, a class action lawsuit was filed Oct 18 in Los Angeles on behalf of hundreds of undocumented immigrants living throughout the United States. The suit was directed at Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, pressing them to issue visas to immigrant victims of violent crimes who have cooperated with investigations or prosecutions of such crimes.
Five years ago, congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, which permits some undocumented immigrants who were crime victims to remain lawfully in the United States for humanitarian reasons.
To date, Chertoff has "flouted and violated this important law," according to the suit.
Gabriela Lemus, policy analyst for the League of United Latin American Citizens in Washington, says there is increasing evidence that crimes against immigrants are not being reported, particularly in emerging communities where a Hispanic infrastructure has not developed.
"The overarching immigration policy is very confusing. People don't know what their rights are," Lemus contends.
According to Luz Marti, a Hispanic advocate in Georgia's Tift County, where the latest killings occurred, inadequate housing likely contributed to the immigrants' vulnerability.
"The doors (of the trailers where the victims lived) were not strong. There were no working windows. In some trailers, windows were (covered) with towels or sheets," she says.
Marti says the crimes, which police maintain are not racially motivated, should serve as a wake-up call to Hispanics, law enforcement and the public about the challenges facing immigrants.
A series of mobile home invasions at four Tift County trailer parks Sept. 30 resulted in the six Mexican men being beaten to death, one woman raped and six other men wounded.
The victims have been identified as Mateo Gomez, 54; Jose Luis Tias, 20; Felipe Mauricio Esparza, 32; Armando Perez Martinez, 25; Mauricio Florindo and Guadalupe Sanchez. The ages of the latter two are unknown.
"We think these people were targeted because they carry a lot of cash," Marti says, adding that some immigrants keep their savings at home and usually pay with cash.
Four people have been charged with six counts of murder each, according to David Haire, public information officer with the sheriff's office in Tift County.
While the murders have shocked the local immigrant community, the Southern Poverty Law Center has produced several intelligence reports detailing attacks against Mexican immigrants throughout the country.
"But you're not confounded at illegals' blatant disregard of US law, or the effects illegals present to healthcare, education, corrections, and other social programs which increase costs to taxpayers?"
"CheezyChesster sounds a lot like that moose, bayourod"
maybe we could have open season once a year-i bet that would stop'em
i know i am just an old country hick but when there are more mexicans in the USA than there is in mexico-that is an invasion with no combat-i am not arogant enough to believe we can control and change these people to our values-look around they are creating more and more ghettos-places that used to be beautiful in the south are now mexican shanti towns-let registered ones work for six months and then get them the hell out of here-in another ten years they will change the national language to spanish-piss on that
Don't forget this: Illegal aliens work for less, that is true. They also have more children than the average American(anchor babies who can get "entitlements"). They send a lot of their money back to Mexico. So, who picks up the tab to take care of the illegal aliens and their "anchor babies" while they are here?
Thank you, for returning a much more acceptable response to my posts. I have read and I acknowledge some of the ie: (in my opinion) short sighted concerns many people have on this issue along with yours. I also welcome responsible debate as well since I feel it helps for better understanding when multple points of view are offered in a debate. I don't mean to imply my views are always correct. But simply attest it when people, especially intellegent people jump on a vigilante band wagon to oppose another human being from acquiring his/her own pursuit of happiness."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". If the major problem in this country is illegal alienship then would it not be more responsible to apply registration and add to our tax base ?
Ah, yes, you are so sincere about debating this issue that you refer to the other sides as vigilantes.
We have immigration laws for a reason - supposedly to keep the rate of immigration at a level where they can be assimilated by this country. That is broken now, and it needs to be fixed. It is not racist or vigilatist to say such - instead, it is realistic.
."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
Ah, so if stealing cars makes me happy, I should be allowed to do it, even though it is against the law.
If the major problem in this country is illegal alienship then would it not be more responsible to apply registration and add to our tax base ?
No. The massive level of illegal immigration swamps schools and local governments with burdens they cannot handle. They cost money far more than any taxes they would pay.
That is why we have laws to allow immigration at a reasonable level. Millions of people have gone through the proper channels and are welcome here. Illegals should not be.
"they have a lot less rights than the ones citizens get"
Apparently not. Free education, social services and healthcare are a lot more than a US citizen gets. Now, they are winning cases and being given big time bucks in cases around the country.
That is why we have laws to allow immigration at a reasonable level. Millions of people have gone through the proper channels and are welcome here. Illegals should not be
Nice try. You might have a different opinion if you're one of the tens of thousands of American Tradesmen / women who's jobs were low-balled out of existance....or, let's say you were an American employer of fellow Americans and you saw your contracts wither and die because of scumbag tax-cheat competitors who hire illegals.....but it's ok.... keep polishing those lenses on your rose coloured glasses.
Sounds good, someone should call Vicente Fox and have them add this to Mexico's constitution.
Would you say the same thing about Poles, Germans, Asians, Ethiopians?
Isn't the real problem that we just don't like these people because they are willing to work for such little pay and we are affraid of our own employment future ?.
Wow! Now who's the one showing hate? I don't like them because they are committing a crime every day they are here. Because they have no respect for our laws.
Who said anything about mexicans ?. Oh excuse me so very kind Sir !. My mistake. It's just that since dustbunny felt compeled to offer an opinion on a thread which contained the following statement:{The recent murders of six Mexican workers in Georgia underline various social issues facing immigrants} that I assumed the post was directed toward Mexican.
See. There's your hate again. Dustbunny specifically used the word "illegal" without any other connotation and you assumed he was referring to mexicans.
YOU must really despise mexicans since you are the one that wants them " to work for such little pay" and assumes that anyone that is talking about illegals is referring to mexicans. My, my. The thought of mexicans must really get you "excited" shall we say?
Sounds like an ad campaign for not breaking the Law and sneaking across the border into the U.S.
Ah, so if stealing cars makes me happy, I should be allowed to do it, even though it is against the law
It's called applying to immigrate here. My ex-wife's family did just that and came here legally in the early seventies.
Gawd, why don't you educate yourself on the issue before commenting in such a blatantly ignorant manner?
The majority of LA does not speak English
Approx. 25% of our construction industry is comprised of illegal aliens
The major source of revenue for the Mexican government is fund transfers from the USA
The prison population is disproportionately illegal aliens
Hospitals are closing in the southwest be of "free" health care to illegals
Diseases such as TB are now back in the US.
Call me what you will, I firmley believe these trends are not beneficial to American society.
It's kind of like sticking our heads in the sand isn't it ?, Isn't the real problem that we just don't like these people because they are willing to work for such little pay and we are affraid of our own employment future ?. What is it exactly about these people that is so different from the other populace of this country ? Why so much Hate for these folks? Ok, the general discussion here is that they are illegals. As I have posted earlier in post 19, registration wouldn't be any harder than it was on Ellis Island around the turn of the century. What confounds me is what the profound excuse is for all the hate.
No hate, just basic economics... and a dividing line between honest businessmen / women and scumbag tax cheats.
They are not here legally. Duh...
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