Arrest of illegal child rapist presents heavy burden
We’ve been waiting to hear from Sanctuary City Mayor Phil Gordon’s panel of “experts,” appointed to make recommendations on Phoenix’s police policy barring officers from asking the immigration status of suspects they arrest.
The hand-picked political toadies have asked for more time to address the controversial policy which effectively ties the hands of law enforcement. The police union, suffering deaths of their own at the hands of illegals, does not support it and the people of the city are fed up.
Now, with the arrest of the notorious Chandler child rapist, another illegal, the panel should have problems recommending the continuation of Gordon’s lenient policies. The daily, anticipating further public outrage, runs an article: Arrest may fuel debate.
At the very least, that’s a fair assessment.
The article includes this gem: Crime committed by undocumented immigrants is difficult to quantify, experts on both side of the debate said
Since illegal aliens —they are not “undocumented,” as most possess plenty of counterfeit, stolen or forged documents—have entered this country against the laws of our sovereign nation, they all qualify as criminals.
Citizens don’t need a crystal ball to predict the bent of the panel. Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley has been an outspoken critic of his successor Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Arpaio’s enforcement stances. Although Thomas’ campaign signs read, Stop Illegal Immigration, and he won Romley’s endorsement, being out of office seems to have embittered the former politician.
McCain protégé, former Attorney General Grant Woods, a vocal opponent of Prop. 200, was fined $1400 for knowingly hiring an illegal alien maid, bringing a screeching halt to his aspirations. He was recently hired by Cochise County to prosecute a murder case against an Arizona Border Patrol agent charged in the death of an illegal immigrant. The case is scheduled in Tucson Federal Court next month. This post alone should render him incapable of objectively serving on Gordon’s panel.
Two former U.S. Attorneys, Paul Charlton and his immediate predecessor, Clinton appointee José de Jesus Rivera, round out what appears to be a predictable quartet. We breathlessly await their proposals.
January 14, 2008 at 2:47 pm
If that panel comes in with any substantive recommendations it would be a surprise. Actually, the only recommendation that makes any sense is abandonment of the restrictive police policy and allowing inquiries about immigration status when apprehending suspects.
Anything short of that is simply irresponsible.
We hear an awful lot about “profiling,” which has recently taken on a negative connotation. So after a violent crime is reported and the suspect is on the lose, the public is given a description of the easily changeable clothes he was wearing instead of any indicators of race. It is irresponsible. I once heard a police spokesman describing a violent criminal and calling him a “gentleman.’
Obviously we are living in such politically correct times that even police PIOs are fearful of calling a suspect anything but a gentleman. The actual definition is a well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior….hardly a criminal suspect.
Romley is angry that he wasn’t able to run for governor. He has blasted Andrew Thomas every chance he gets. It is very unbecoming and makes him appear exceedingly petty and small.
Woods wife is Hispanic, from Cuba. Glad to be reminded of his connective thread to Amnesty McCain.
January 14, 2008 at 10:12 pm
The conclusions reached bythe panel are a done deal. The tough part is in figuring out how to present it with the least backlash. Of course the Chandler rapist of young girls presents a bit of a problem, but they’ll conclude that memories are short and our compassion runs deep, or some other blather.
January 15, 2008 at 2:10 pm
The Republic’s E. J. Montini is, of course, trying to reconfigure this issue in his column today, making an extremely weak argument. He tried to draw a parallel with Italians being defamed at the turn of the century, when they arrived as new immigrants.
However, he left out one very important distinction: The Italian immigrants as well as other European immigrants to America were not sneaking over the border, but arrived through the processing port of Ellis Island LEGALLY.
Also, they did not march through the streets of American cities, waving the flags of the country they just left and making demands. Instead, they were eager to have a chance at assimilating, learning the language and becoming Americans. Many of us come from those immigrant roots and know their stories too well to fall for his heart-tugging snow job.
March 26, 2008 at 4:21 pm
[...] abiding affection for Mexico’s “undocumented” is well documented. And, he has been traveling to Dubai of late to facilitate global economic interaction between [...]
October 10, 2008 at 10:40 am
[...] the glam eluded Romley. He found himself reduced to serving on Democrat Mayor Phil Gordon’s phony committee, working at the Attorney General’s Office for yet another Democrat, Terry Goddard, and [...]