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man arrest for detaining illegal immigrants
Yuma Sun ^ | LOUIE VILLALOBOS, Staff Writer

Posted on 08/07/2003 8:27:02 PM PDT by AZ GRAMMY

Second arrest made in immigrant incident

BY LOUIE VILLALOBOS, Staff Writer Aug 7, 2003

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Yuma County sheriff's deputies have arrested a second man in connection with the alleged unlawful detention of six illegal immigrants on July 31 in Gadsden.

Alexander David Dumas, 26, was arrested Tuesday evening after driving to Yuma from his home in Big Bear Lake, Calif., for an interview, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Eben Bratcher.

Dumas was charged with six counts of aggravated assault and five counts of unlawful imprisonment following the early morning July 31 incident where deputies said he and Matthew Paul Hoffman, arrested on the same charges on Monday, detained a group of six illegal immigrants that had just entered the United States through the Colorado River.

A third man, Martin Hoffman Jr., was with the two suspects but won't be charged because he was not armed and did not take part in the handcuffing of the illegal immigrants, Bratcher said.

Bratcher said the department will continue to investigate the case and warned citizens against taking the law into their own hands.

He said anyone who sees a group of suspected illegal immigrants should call the Border Patrol, and not take it upon themselves to apprehend the group by using guns and handcuffs. Asking a group to stay put while making a phone call is permitted and would constitute a citizen's arrest, he said.

"When you have someone holding someone against their will with the use or the threat of the use of force, you've crossed the line between a citizen's arrest and unlawful detention," he said. "There was no justification for the use of force."

Deputies said the two men handcuffed five members of the group, which included three children and two women, and held them at gunpoint until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived.

Agents have said they were dispatched to the scene when a surveillance camera operator noticed the incident unfolding. The agents called the sheriff's department, who then identified and interviewed all three men before letting them go, officials said.

Bratcher said the men are not believed to be part of a larger group, such as the citizen patrol groups that operate on private property along the Tucson border and use various forms of technology to alert Border Patrol agents to the presence of illegal immigrants in the area.

Also being charged with five counts of endangerment is a 16-year-old Mexican national who Bratcher said was paid $600 to bring the illegal immigrants into the United States. Bratcher also said the illegal immigrants were planning to meet with a taxi cab in Gadsden and were to be taken to a unidentified Yuma hotel, according to interviews done of the illegal immigrants by detectives.

William Robbins, Border Patrol spokesman, said the six illegal immigrants were in the agency's custody as of Wednesday morning but couldn't be interviewed.

Hugo Oliva, Mexican consul in Yuma, said the group was in good condition following the incident and that his office is encouraged by the sheriff's department's efforts regarding this case.

"This is a very disturbing thing to happen here," Oliva said. "We can't have people with guns do the job of law enforcement agencies."

http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/a...tory_6619.shtml


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: citizensarrest; crime; illegalimmigrants
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To: Cultural Jihad
There is no law anymore.

Tell that to the vigilante clowns who are being charged with felonies.

Good point.

81 posted on 08/07/2003 9:31:48 PM PDT by BJungNan
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To: El Gato

Easy. In order to make a citizen's arrest in Arizona a person must have witnessed the misdemeanor. These clowns were 10 miles from the border, and unless Superman loaned them his X-ray eyeballs, there is no chance they actually witnessed any crime except their own felonies of aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

82 posted on 08/07/2003 9:33:06 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
I would agree with El Gato,

"How can there be and unlawful detention of illegal immigrants? (Unless excessive force were used, beyond that necessary to stop and detain them, while assuring the safety of those doing the detaining, which as far as I can see is not being alleged)"

If they used excessive force, charge them.

83 posted on 08/07/2003 9:33:37 PM PDT by KEVLAR
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To: Nathaniel Fischer
You never know if they have drugs just by looking at them. Do you really think it would be better to risk letting some people with drugs get into the country?

I really don't think they should be searching them. Detaining them for police is one thing - searching them in detail is quite another.

84 posted on 08/07/2003 9:33:58 PM PDT by lepton
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To: Cultural Jihad
Nice idea. Raise the minimum wage, eh? We could use more unemployed.

In this economy you already have more unemployed. We just have to make sure that the social services intended to help those Americans in time of need aren't being sucked up by a bunch of border-hopping bloodsuckers like they are now.

Oh, and why would you object to using the threat of capital punishment to deter invasion? It just might work. Whaddaya say? It could just inspire the invading sponges to do something to fix that rathole they're fleeing in droves.

85 posted on 08/07/2003 9:34:36 PM PDT by Tancredo Fan (Stop the invasion. Put the military on the borders, round up illegals, and tell Fox to shove off.)
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To: El Gato
True, but there was no indication of trespassing in the news story.
86 posted on 08/07/2003 9:34:56 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: KEVLAR

They are so being charged. Read the story.

87 posted on 08/07/2003 9:36:19 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
One more time.....there is not any indication that a gun was shoved in anyone's face. Where do you get your information? It certainly isn't from the posted article.
88 posted on 08/07/2003 9:36:22 PM PDT by waRNmother.armyboots
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To: Cultural Jihad
The clowns accosted and assaulted women and children 10 miles from the border and are being charged for their crimes. They did not witness the border crossing. More than likely these immigrants are guilty of a misdemeanor, which a citizen would have to witness in order to legally perform a citizen's arrest. Hence the charges of false imprisonment.

If one is going to rail against illegal immigration it would behoove one to not commit crimes in doing so.

I must have missed it, so could you please link me to the thread where you have complained about illegal aliens breaking our laws?  You seem to be really worried about people who break the law.

These men handcuffed the illegal aliens, taking them into custody.  That is not assault.  If it was assault every police officer that ever made an arrest would be brought up on charges.  You are lying when you say the women and children were assaulted.  In the report the INS says the illegal aliens were unharmed.

These men watched these illegal immigrants traverse through a sparsely populated area.  They witnessed them coming from the direction of the border.  They were able to recognize their attire as that of illegal immigrants.  They were absolutely right, so please don't say the didn't witness a crime.  They certainly did.  These people were breaking the law at the moment they were apprehended.  They didn't just break the law at the border, they continued to do so every moment they are on out soil, so your comment that they didn't witness a misdemeanor being perped is ridiculous.

Nice post BTW.  Everthing in it was ripped to shreds, but I'm sure that won't stop you from embarassing yourself again.

89 posted on 08/07/2003 9:38:09 PM PDT by DoughtyOne ("He's baaaaack!" Now is he on our side or the side of the (political bigger is better) machines.)
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To: waRNmother.armyboots

Face, heart, arm, toe. It's still aggravated assault and unlawful detention.

"When you have someone holding someone against their will with the use or the threat of the use of force, you've crossed the line between a citizen's arrest and unlawful detention," he said. "There was no justification for the use of force."

Deputies said the two men handcuffed five members of the group, which included three children and two women, and held them at gunpoint until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived.


90 posted on 08/07/2003 9:39:28 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Tancredo Fan
It could just inspire the invading sponges to do something to fix that rathole they're fleeing in droves.

There's the kernel of a new doctrine here: America doesn't hand out free immigration tickets anymore as a salve to its developed nation conscience. We require nations with those clamoring to escape here to solve their own problems at home instead.

America for Americans!

91 posted on 08/07/2003 9:39:39 PM PDT by risk
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Comment #92 Removed by Moderator

To: AZ GRAMMY
I can see this kind of action or inaction by law enforcement causing some violence against illegal trespassers if they keep tagging our citizens like that.

You would think you could by law detain trespassers or illegal border crossers.

So it is unlawful to detain an invasion from foreign soil? Weird thinking.
93 posted on 08/07/2003 9:40:02 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: El Gato
This pinhead doesn't not his arse from a hole in the ground. Once over our border, these illegal aliens are breaking the law every moment they are on US soil. The idea that these men had to see them cross the border is assinine.
94 posted on 08/07/2003 9:40:29 PM PDT by DoughtyOne ("He's baaaaack!" Now is he on our side or the side of the (political bigger is better) machines.)
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To: Cultural Jihad
Read it twice. Only says "force". Does not say excessive. Does not describe the "use of force".
95 posted on 08/07/2003 9:40:56 PM PDT by KEVLAR
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To: DoughtyOne

You are free to choose to read the actual news story, or ignore it.

Dumas was charged with six counts of aggravated assault and five counts of unlawful imprisonment ...

96 posted on 08/07/2003 9:41:25 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
Easy. In order to make a citizen's arrest in Arizona a person must have witnessed the misdemeanor.

When you go into a gas-station and rob the clerk, you are committing a crime. When you leave and drive down the street, you are no longer committing a crime. When you cross into the U.S. illegally, you are committing a crime. When you drive down the street afterwards, you are still committing a crime - since it is your prescence within the borders that is the crime.

If the people were here illegally, then the people making the arrest were, in fact, witnessing the crime. The main issue is - they'd better be right, and they'd better not use excessive force.

97 posted on 08/07/2003 9:42:24 PM PDT by lepton
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To: DoughtyOne

Well, people are not charged with being in the country illegally, but with entering the country illegally. I don't write the laws, I just report on them.

98 posted on 08/07/2003 9:43:10 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Did you read the article about the coyotes giving the illegals speed of some sort to get them moving faster? It may be linked to the deaths along with the heat. I think this flood is going to continue in hopes that like Reagan Bush will call for an amnesty. Which IMO settles nothing. I read somewhere if a US citizen gets a Matricula card and posed as an illegal that is punishable by 10 grand and either jail or banishment for 10 yrs. can't remember which. I agree with callers I heard on Lars Larson here in Oregon. Americans are considered second class citizens. It is a bunch of crap that 9/11 redirected attention of of the illegals. More like a perfect excuse to put it on the back burner. The Repubs are ingoring the problem and the Dems are moving forward with their special interests. Conservatives are being forced to except Homosexual lifestyles, illegal immagration and a host of other blood sucking agendas. The days of sex, drugs and rock and roll do not seem so harsh in comparison to the honeypot of lifestyles we are being forced to except. My son King Vanity has always spotted the trends in our society so I am waiting for the next "cause he predicts will come out". He is predicting Bush will give amnesty. He saw the gay agenda going mainstream and targeting the 20something crowd. Sure enough alot of young people are now claiming dual sexuality(bisexuality) and dual citizenship is now on the table. What is next? Any guesses.
99 posted on 08/07/2003 9:44:03 PM PDT by oceanperch (Yikes I was stung by a Hildebee.)
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To: lepton

No, the issue is: they'd better not commit any felonies trying to stop a misdemeanor.

100 posted on 08/07/2003 9:45:20 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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