Oregon Ping
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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.
I don't regard the President as a "god" but the law is what the law is - see posts above with specific cites to the U.S. Constitution and case law.
I would not be sending anyone a bill, especially since I am not talking about prohibitions against the MEXICAN government from sending American government(s) bills. I was talking about State of local AMERICAN government(s) being prohibited from sending bills to the Mexican government. Get it?
States are prohibited (absent express congressional authorization) by the Constitution and specifically the "Foreign Commerce Clause" (I think that is Scalia's term) from adopting ANY policy - including sending bills - that hinder the federal government's foreign policy. In "the unique context of foreign commerce," a State's power is further constrained because of "the special need for federal uniformity." Wardair Canada, Inc. v. Florida Dept. of Revenue, 477 U.S. 1, 8 (1986). "In international relations and with respect to foreign intercourse and trade, the people of the United States act through a single government with unified and adequate national power.'" Japan Line, Ltd. v. County of Los Angeles, 441 U.S. 434, 448 (1979), quoting Board of Trustees v. United States, 289 U.S. 48, 59 (1933).
What is it about an individual sending a bill to another individual in another country do you not get? That is not addressed in the case you keep posting.
Or are you one of those folks mystified by the rally sign "What part of Illegal don't you understand?"
But you're hoping to bait me into a banning. Better luck next time, amigo. Outee.
re your post 12 good job. i really wish that could fit into a tagline lol
Oregon Ping
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Does that include the states of CA, AZ, NM, and Texas?
Because they are breaking the law every day, if it does!
Hahahahaha!!
Now that is sweet justice.
Bring a suit, get a judgement, attach Mexican assets.
He's offended by offers of ammo too.
California is sending Mexico bills?
An American town and American taxpaying citizens are being torn up by foreign criminals and you're "Laughing Out Loud".
This might be a good time for you to pause to examine your priorities and loyalties.
Catch you later.
That's right - I do NOT advocate violence on FR - do you?
And some folks still think we don't need to better secure the borders. Amazing.
BuMp
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