Posted on 09/25/2006 10:13:36 PM PDT by anymouse
Just hours after it became known that the accused killer of a Houston police officer was an illegal Mexican immigrant, top city officials braced themselves for another round of criticism of the city's policies toward illegal immigrants.
Houston police officer Rodney Johnson was shot four times in the head during a traffic stop last week. Investigators say Juan Leonardo Quintero, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally has confessed to killing Johnson, a father of five. Quintero had been deported once and crossed the border illegally again.
U.S. Rep John Culberson, R-Houston, reminded the public Monday of his efforts to cut off federal law-enforcement funds to the Houston Police Department if it refused to change its "sanctuary policy."
Since 1992, the police department has barred officers from asking people who aren't under arrest about their immigration status. The order also prohibits them from arresting people solely based on suspicion that they are in the country illegally. Police do check the immigration status of those arrested on Class B misdemeanor or more serious charges.
Congressional candidate Shelley Sekula-Gibbs called on Houston Mayor Bill White to immediately revoke the policy, which she said "protects the illegal criminal instead of protecting the citizens."
But White's administration, long accustomed to criticism of the policy from conservative politicians and talk radio hosts, said the city will not change its policy and blamed federal officials for failing to protect the U.S.-Mexico border.
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt has said repeatedly that Johnson's killing has nothing to do with the city's policy regarding illegal immigrants and everything to do with the federal government's failure to secure the border with Mexico.
"If the government fulfilled their responsibility of protecting the border, we would not probably be standing here today," Hurtt said soon after the shooting. Quintero had been deported in 2004 after being granted deferred adjudication on a charge of indecency with a child.
Had the federal government been able to secure the border, Hurtt said, "It would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for that individual to get back in this country."
Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston city councilwoman running a write-in campaign for the seat vacated by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, said Hurtt "must take responsibility for his actions. Finger pointing doesn't help. That attitude (towards inquiring about immigration status) has gotten us into this terrible situation. What is the problem with enforcing these laws?"
Sekula-Gibbs' position on the issue has hardened considerably since she became a candidate for Congress. During a similar City Council debate on the policy in November, Sekula-Gibbs accused a colleague wanting to abandon the policy of a "political stunt" and told the Houston Chronicle she had no "strong opinion" about changing the police department's sanctuary policy.
Culberson, however, has consistently identified border security as one of his top issues, and he warned Monday that Houston, Dallas and Austin stand to lose millions of dollars in federal grants if they don't change their policies.
Culberson's amendment to the House appropriations bill would block all federal grants to any city not specifically allowing law enforcement officers to question anyone they stop about their citizenship status. Culberson said he would suggest that everyone stopped should be asked about their status to avoid racial profiling accusations. From there, he said, "It's Law Enforcement 101. We trust the officers to use their good judgment."
The White administration sees Culberson's bill as the ultimate unfunded mandate, cutting off badly needed federal law enforcement money to force the city's hand, White spokesman Frank Michel said.
The Mexican government will whine, beg and criticize as the execution date draws near.
Texas will execute him anyway.
But if the borders were being properly controlled, Officer Johnson would likely be alive today.
Along with several others who have been killed by illegal scum.
Just like Bush they are hard working people just here to do
the work ordinary Americans refuse to do. Hes right I would
certainly refuse to shoot a police officer in the head four times.
Too bad there arent any politicians who care about this.
If cities did ask, it would minimize the draw of the U.S. for these scum. It would also help get rid of the ones that are already here (without the Senate having to get involved in making "new" laws).
I see no reason why police shouldn't ask if a person is a legal resident. If illegals knew they were going to get asked if they were legal when they applied for drivers licenses, or during a traffic stop, not nearly as many would be interested in illegally crossing the border. It would remove much of the charm of the U.S. if they knew they would be jailed every time they got stopped by police.
Recent ones from the Denver area:
Charges filed in Colo. dragging death (Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, 'illegal immigrant' ?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1707949/posts
Gomez-Garcia Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_258182903.html
And this--probably an illegal too:
Suspect Arrested In Construction Site Murder
http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_263185155.html
"Since 1992, the police department has barred officers from asking people who aren't under arrest about their immigration status. The order also prohibits them from arresting people solely based on suspicion that they are in the country illegally. Police do check the immigration status of those arrested on Class B misdemeanor or more serious charges."
And I thought they were smarter than that in Houston.
They do the same thing here in Liberal Loonyland, AKA New York City. The "powers that be" practice, "Don't ask, don't tell" when it comes to illegals. We have had an open door policy in NYC towards illegal invaders for decades. We are constantly reaping the rewards of this lunacy in terms of violent crime. Wake up, America.
Can we now take care of the "living" part? Huh? Huh?
"He'll get the death penalty. . . Mexico will whine."
Yeah, but it probably won't come to fruition for 15 years or so.
Oldplayer
ping
The cheap labor lobby cost this officer his life.
According to Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa), 25 Americans die EVERY DAY at the hands of illegal aliens...that's roughly 46,000 since 9/11...but no one seems to care. :-(
I know.
Uh hello, one of your fellow officers just got his head blown off by an illegal. You knew for a long time now that the feds weren't doing their job in securing the border. How about your department taking matters into its own hands, Mr. Hurtt, and do what's morally right?
Hey brainiac - If illegals know that all they have to do is make it to a sancuary city (and Houston is less than 300 miles from the border as the crow flies) and they are home free, then what difference does it make what the federal policy is?
Now, I agree that the federal government is to blame for this crisis, but still . . .
This is one of the issues that needs to get out there- I know we try, but it seems no one is listening.
Of course illegal criminals come from Mexico and other places in large numbers; if being a criminal was your occupation it would only make sense to come to the US. After all with the "hands off" policy many LEOs in the US have toward illegals, your odds of getting caught are much less than in your home country, and if you are caught our jails are much nicer.
It really gripes me that illegals get a pass on things like false documents, identity theft, vehicle registration and insurance. In many places they are treated lighter than citizens on things like DWI and other offenses.
In Maricopa county in Arizona they actually had two seperate court systems set up- one for minorities (mostly illegals) and one for others. The court for minorities was giving lighter sentences for DWI and lesser fines than the court for the others. Others would be US citizens, mostly caucasian. I know about 6 months ago there was a fuss raised about that system- but don't know if they did away with it or not.
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs Ping!
She's been down to a South Texas border watch.
Already flip-flopping!
Previously only illegals that smoked cigaretttes got her goat.
ping for shelley
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