Posted on 06/23/2006 5:40:15 AM PDT by RobtPruitt
(Frustrated by what he sees as federal inaction, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has launched a local campaign against illegal immigration in his swath of southern Ohio. A sign he erected outside the county jail shows his resolve.) Tom Dodge/Columbus Dispatch
(Lourdes de Leon, owner of the Taqueria Mercado, a Butler County restaurant, says the sheriff's crackdown on illegal immigrants has many in the local Hispanic community frightened of the police.)Tom Dodge/Columbus Dispatch
(Enlarge Billboards in Butler County proclaim Sheriff Jones' new focus on businesses that hire undocumented workers.)
All Things Considered, June 19, 2006 · Local authorities across the country complain that they bear the financial burden of illegal immigration, yet they lack the power to enforce immigration law. In Butler County, Ohio, Sheriff Richard Jones is on a mission to tackle the problem. And he's frightening the local Hispanic population.
Jones' hero is John Wayne; a near life-sized poster of the actor hangs next to his desk. With a similar swagger, Jones is on a mission to prod, cajole, even shame federal officials into action. In the parking area outside the county jail, two new signs proclaim "Illegal Aliens Here," with an arrow pointing inside.
"It's a big, bright yellow sign, and it's to let people know in our community that there are illegals here, and it is a problem, and we want some help," Jones says.
Jones says it costs his county thousands of dollars a month to jail lawbreakers who also happen to be illegal immigrants. He has billed the federal government for the incarceration costs -- $150,000 since last October -- though he doesn't expect to see any reimbursement checks.
Eye on Employers
More recently, the sheriff began targeting businesses. On six billboards across the county, Jones has plastered his own image, arms crossed over chest, reminding employers that it's illegal to hire undocumented workers. He says the signs are generating tips from the public. On his blog, Jones warns companies, "You know who you are, and we're coming."
"If you engage in an underground economy and you think that we don't know about it, we'll be visiting you," Jones says.
Jones won't reveal which businesses he's visited; a spokesman says they're considered "uncharged suspects." But in fact, Jones couldn't charge the companies if he wanted to -- at least not with hiring illegal workers. That's a federal responsibility. Critics say the sheriff is overstepping his bounds, just as they say he did a few weeks ago, when his officers detained 18 Hispanic workers at a construction site.
"If you're going to hold anybody, you've got to have the charges," says Greg Palmore with the regional office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
He says Jones picked up the workers after someone reported a disturbance at the worksite. But exactly what happened was sketchy, and Jones had no actual charges to hold them on. He called ICE, but the agency declined to come for the men. For Jones, it was one more frustrating example of federal failure. For Palmore, the agency's course of action was clear.
"If two simultaneous calls came in -- one that was national security, and the other being an undocumented immigrant that poses no significant public safety threat -- you can surmise exactly where we'll put our resources," Palmore says.
Rising Fear
It might seem as if Jones' campaign against illegal immigration isn't having much impact -- that is, until you head across town to an area locals call Little Mexico. Residents say the area has been revitalized by immigrants from Mexico, but as I visit, the streets are mostly empty, and in a 20-minute period, four police cars go by.
"I've heard about what is happening with the new laws and, honestly, I'm scared because we don't have our papers," says Alejandra, a Hispanic woman pushing her toddler son down the street in a stroller.
She has just come from collecting clothes at a church and looks as if she can't get home fast enough. As she speaks, her eyes dart all around. Alejandra says she tries to stay off the streets as much as possible these days. Her husband has a job in a factory, but they're so worried that they, too, might be arrested by the sheriff that they just might give up on life in the United States.
"In two, three months, we might go back to Mexico and not come back again," Alejandra says. "I even have a brother-in-law, his company has told him he has one more month and then there will be no more work for him. So we're going to have to go."
A Community in Hiding
The police cars that cruise by Little Mexico aren't from Sheriff Jones' office but from the city of Hamilton, whose police force is trying to improve relations with the Hispanic community. But that effort seems undermined by Jones' campaign against illegal immigrants.
Lourdes de Leon, co-owner of Taqueria Mercado, says friendly police officers used to be regulars at her Mexican restaurant, in part to make the community more comfortable with them. But she recently asked them to stop coming. Their presence was scaring customers away.
Today, if a crime happened, de Leon is sure most Hispanics would be too scared to call the police. Even without officers around, she points to plenty of empty tables. Over the past month or so, business is down by more than one-third, she says.
De Leon is a U.S. citizen, but she understands her customers' fears.
"Me myself, you know, I'm afraid," de Leon says. She worries the sheriff might target her business "even if I'm doing nothing wrong."
The USA needs more county sheriffs like Jones.
The police cars that cruise by Little Mexico aren't from Sheriff Jones' office but from the city of Hamilton, whose police force is trying to improve relations with the Hispanic community. But that effort seems undermined by Jones' campaign against illegal immigrants.
And less of liberal newspaper editorializing against proper law enforcement.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5478989
Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain
Sounds good to me. Don't let the doorknob hit you on the ass on your way out.
I'm gratified and astonished.
FROM http://butlersheriff.org/blog/
Sheriff Jones — April 21, 2006, 12:46 pm
Boycott Employers of Illegals!
All this talk about so-called “immgrants” staying home, not buying goods, or having rallies on May 1st got me thinking that maybe the rest of us should boycott county businesses that hire illegal aliens!
We can make statements too! Let’s all ask businesses “are you in the practice of hiring illegal immigrants?” And if they are, don’t do business with them! If they see that this practice is HURTING their businesses, maybe they’ll realize that maybe breaking the law for additional profit isn’t the wise thing to do!
I’m doing my part, county businesses that are known to hire illegal aliens should expect the type of raids that were executed at a business in Evendale earlier this week.
You know who you are, and we’re coming.
Channel 12 video interview
Filed under: BCSO News — Comments (29)
Sheriff Jones — April 5, 2006, 2:34 pm
Hold Legislators Accountable
The Senate has been trying to pass legislation that will allow illegals to remain in this country. They say this is not an amnesty program but they have said this in the past. They call this a workers program. It appears the Senate is trying to pass legislation to help themselves and not the citizens they represent or the illegals they are trying to represent. In the end both we the citizens and the illegals will lose out. Remember the actions of these lawmakers and kick them out on election day.
Filed under: BCSO News — Comments (27)
Sheriff Jones — March 31, 2006, 12:43 pm
Failure in Washington
Once again Congress and the Senate have failed the American People by not giving them a true immigration bill to help the states, counties, and cities. It is now up to local leaders to pass true legislation and enforce the law. I am going to place billboards throughout my county which quote federal law that makes it illegal to hire illegals. A poster asking for citizens’ support has also been created. To view either the billboard or the poster click on the corresponding thumbnail below.
And this is the problem. If ICE has this attitude, how can we expect that the law will ever be inforced. Hey... here's an idea... how about if we hold them for the freaking crime they comitted by entering this country illegally in the first place!! What a radical idea!
Are they saying that hiring illegals violates a federal and not a state and/or local law?
If that's the case, then a local LEO can't charge someone with breaking a federal law?
If you want to see how bad this situation really is, go to:
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/
Keep scrolling.
The jackass Palmore doesn't understand that word ENFORCEMENT !
"In two, three months, we might go back to Mexico and not come back again," Alejandra says. "I even have a brother-in-law, his company has told him he has one more month and then there will be no more work for him. So we're going to have to go."
Naw. This approach won't work. /sarc
Wonder what would happen to the "undocumented workers" problem, if this were applied Nationwide?
DUH!!!
Of course, here and every else, ICE is really doing their job. NOT.
Is there a defense fund set up for when the ACLU attacks him on human rights violations? /sarcasm.
Imagine that.
So we're going to have to go."
Farewell. Oh, sorry, adios.
Ok folks. You read it here first and it went right by you.
Here is ICE admitting that illegal aliens ARE a public safety threat, just that they are not a SIGNIFICANT public safety threat.
Excellent articles begging to be posted.
I am so glad that ICE has the concept of priorities. Now unless there are a number of AQ sleeper cells in Butler County they should get back to doing the rest of their job...the one that takes up the first word in their bureacracracy's title...IMMIGRATION and Customs ENFORCEMENT!!!
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