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Oregon sheriff bills Mexico for jailing illegal immigrants
Houston Chronicle/L A Times ^ | May 13, 2006 | TOMAS ALEX TIZON

Posted on 05/13/2006 8:07:04 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch

PENDLETON, ORE. - Out of ideas and low on cash one cold morning, the man with the biggest badge in town put his meaty fingers on a keyboard and tapped out a letter to the leader of Mexico.

"Dear Precidente (sic) Fox," it began.

"My name is John Trumbo. I am Sheriff of Umatilla County in northeastern Oregon." Illegal immigrants "from your country" who committed crimes here, the letter said, cost Americans lots of money.

Last year, more than 360 of "your citizens" spent time in jail "at a cost of $63 a day which equates to a request for payment of $318,843," the letter concluded. "At this time, you will not be billed for medical, dental and transportation costs. Your prompt attention to this request will be very much appreciated."

Three months later, Trumbo reports, Vicente Fox still has not paid up. The Mexican president has issued no response.

The silence has reverberated at the Umatilla County Justice Center. Here, the influx of Mexican immigrants — many of them illegal and a portion criminal — has become an increasingly prickly issue.

To anyone who asked, Trumbo explained:

The county has a daily jail capacity of 252 inmates but can afford staff and services for only 135 inmates. The sheriff's office should have a minimum of 27 patrol officers but can fund only nine. Between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., no patrol officer is on duty.

"When people call the police, they expect to see the police," Trumbo says. "They see it on TV all the time. But there are times when I can't send anybody, because I don't have anybody because I don't have the money."

One reason, he says: The department spends much of its $6.5 million annual budget on apprehending and jailing illegal immigrants.

He has no problem with Hispanics personally, he says. "Some of my best friends," Trumbo says, "are Hispanic." He just wanted to tell someone, anyone, about the situation.

In the past 16 years, the Hispanic population in 20 of Oregon's 36 counties has as much as tripled.

Many of them end up in places like Umatilla County, where they take the hardest farming jobs or work in food-processing factories.

The population increase has led to a corresponding rise in the number of undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. Trumbo says between nine and 15 of his jail beds are occupied each day by illegal immigrants from Mexico.

The majority of jailed illegal immigrants are in for property crimes. One man arrested on burglary charges, Juan Flores-Romero, has been in the Umatilla County jail 20 times. Flores-Romero, 62, was deported in almost every instance.

Says Trumbo: "The old joke among the immigration agents who shuttled these guys back to Mexico was, 'I hope we make it back to Pendleton before they do.' "

Some found the sheriff's letter disturbing. Shelley Latin, an attorney who represents mostly low-income Hispanics, says Trumbo's letter hinted at a type of racism pervasive within local law enforcement.

"The implication is that Hispanics are the cause of the crime problems here," Latin says. "It suggests that if Hispanics were all taken away, we would suddenly be crime-free. That's just silly."

The Mexican consul general for Oregon, Fernando Sanchez Ugarte, who received a copy of the letter, says he doesn't know whether Fox will respond.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Mexico; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: aliens; bush; congress; hr4437; oregon
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To: samadams2000

The IRS has 9 million SS numbers and IDs that don't match come in every year. Not only does the govt know which employers are hiring, but how many, and for how long.


21 posted on 05/13/2006 8:53:40 PM PDT by jeremiah (How much did we get for that rope?)
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To: Lurker

...you forgot to mention that Republicans are just mean to call them illegal and criminals...or maybe you did and I was laughing too hard to notice...very nice.


22 posted on 05/13/2006 8:56:54 PM PDT by AprilfromTexas
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To: AprilfromTexas
It's kind of a work in progress at this point. In any event I'm glad you got a chuckle out of it.

L

23 posted on 05/13/2006 9:10:54 PM PDT by Lurker (50% of the country is not fit to run a convenience store.)
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To: Lurker; Americanwolfsbrother; Americanwolf; kstewskis; HiJinx; SandRat; c-b 1; nicmarlo

You all HAVE to see post 12. TOOOO funny.

Lurker - that is perfection but since you asked if you forgot anything :) ... there is that bit about how we "all" speed and speeding (even 1 mph over) = the same as breaking into the country. That was the big talking point handed down to the open border types about two or three months ago.


24 posted on 05/13/2006 9:11:21 PM PDT by Borax Queen
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To: Borax Queen
Thanks I'll throw something in there.

I hope people have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

Just don't try to do the whole thing without taking a breath. I did that once and I got real wooooozy.

Regards,

L

25 posted on 05/13/2006 9:13:26 PM PDT by Lurker (50% of the country is not fit to run a convenience store.)
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To: Lurker; Borax Queen; Czar; janetgreen; JustPiper; Smartass; Americanwolf; Americanwolfsbrother; ...
You all HAVE to see post 12. TOOOO funny.


26 posted on 05/13/2006 9:21:51 PM PDT by nicmarlo (Bush is the Best President Ever. Rah. Rah.)
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To: Lurker

Bravo Lurker...very well put!! I needed a good laugh!


27 posted on 05/13/2006 9:24:21 PM PDT by leenie312
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To: Americanwolfsbrother

Knowing Sheriff Joe, if hears of this he's very likely to deliver the bill personally to the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix.

I can also gleefully imagine what he might consider doing when they refuse payment-hehehehehehehehehe.


28 posted on 05/13/2006 9:25:37 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Three months later, Trumbo reports, Vicente Fox still has not paid up. The Mexican president has issued no response.

Cheap b@st@rd.

29 posted on 05/13/2006 9:25:39 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (One flag--American. One language--English. One allegiance--to America!)
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To: Lurker

Too funny. You might wanna throw in there how Lou Dobbs is a leftist hack and how we need a compassionate and a comprehensive package.

LOL!


30 posted on 05/13/2006 9:27:43 PM PDT by Altura Ct.
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To: SandRat
He could sue them in Small Claims court first, win a judgement on the first couple of grand and when the Mexican government refuses to pay up he can slap a lock on the place and sell it to cover the judgement.

Now that would be funny.

L

31 posted on 05/13/2006 9:28:15 PM PDT by Lurker (50% of the country is not fit to run a convenience store.)
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To: SandRat
I can also gleefully imagine what he might consider doing when they refuse payment-hehehehehehehehehe.

You think Sheriff Joe and Andrew Thomas could get a theft charge to stick in this state?AWB

32 posted on 05/13/2006 9:31:01 PM PDT by Americanwolfsbrother (Minutemen - Building the fence YOUR government refuses to build.)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Shelley Latin, an attorney who represents mostly low-income Hispanics, says Trumbo's letter hinted at a type of racism pervasive within local law enforcement.

I hope Trumbo tells Latin what's what. This "you're a racist" stuff in reference to illegal immigrants has got to be slapped down, hard and fast. It shouldn't be allowed to stand -- not for one second. Trumbo should keep after Latin until she apologizes.

33 posted on 05/13/2006 9:35:11 PM PDT by Glenmerle
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To: Americanwolfsbrother
Joe and the DA are very imaginative blokes. I'm sure they can come up with something. Sheriff Joe is the Sheriff Bufford T. Pusser of Arizona.
34 posted on 05/13/2006 9:38:56 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: Lurker

Thank you for the best laugh!!


35 posted on 05/13/2006 9:45:49 PM PDT by Borax Queen
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To: Lurker

Could you elucidate on that a little more? I'm still undecided.


36 posted on 05/13/2006 9:52:41 PM PDT by TigersEye (Sedition and treason are getting to be a Beltway fashion.)
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To: Lurker

Bravo... that was fun!!

Reminds me of Denis Leary when he was still raw.


37 posted on 05/13/2006 10:03:02 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (God Bless Our Troops...including U.S. Border Patrol, America's First Line of Defense)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Three months later, Trumbo reports, Vicente Fox still has not paid up. The Mexican president has issued no response.

Oh, a deadbeat!

38 posted on 05/13/2006 10:07:50 PM PDT by TigersEye (Sedition and treason are getting to be a Beltway fashion.)
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To: nicmarlo

THAT is going to pop up a lot of places around here from now on....


39 posted on 05/13/2006 10:09:22 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (God Bless Our Troops...including U.S. Border Patrol, America's First Line of Defense)
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To: La Enchiladita
: )

and I have moah : )

40 posted on 05/13/2006 10:13:57 PM PDT by nicmarlo (Bush is the Best President Ever. Rah. Rah.)
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