Thread: Illegal Immigration an Issue in Newark Murders

Illegal Immigration an Issue in Newark Murders
By Jeff McKay
CNSNews.com Correspondent
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?P ... 0813a.html
August 13, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - Funeral services were held over the weekend for three young people whose execution-style murders have galvanized crime-ridden Newark, N.J.

"Enough is enough!" Newark Mayor Cory Booker exclaimed at one of the three funerals on Saturday. He is urging community involvement as a means of reducing violence in the city.

Gov. Jon Corzine also spoke to the people of Newark. "As a human being, not just your governor, I am here with a broken heart, a sad heart, a heavy heart," Corzine said at one of the funerals. "These children deserved better."

The murders of Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower, both 20 years old, and Terrance Aeriel, 18, were particularly brutal, many believe. Police said the three robbery victims (and a fourth who survived) were ordered to kneel in front of a wall, before being shot in the back of the head.

Police have arrested three suspects, two of them 15 years old. But outrage is particularly keen when it comes to the third suspect, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from Peru, who was out on the streets despite two prior arrests this year, including one for the rape of a little girl.

In State Superior Court on Aug. 10, the day after his arrest, Carranza spoke in Spanish and had his comments translated for the judge. He pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery. He admitted that he did not have a valid Social Security card.

Relatives of the victims and many others are wondering how Carranza could have been allowed back on the streets after two prior felony arrests this year. Carranza had already been indicted on 31 counts involving the rape and sexual assault of a girl who had been in his care since she was four years old. He also faced aggravated assault and weapons charges stemming from a fight in a bar.

Despite those felony charges, the illegal immigrant had been released on bail twice -- $150,000 bail in the sexual abuse case and $50,000 bail in the weapons case.

Records show the same bail bondsman was used in each case. But it is not known who was responsible for paying for Carranza's bail.

Did race keep killer in the US?

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office said it did not learn of Carranza's illegal immigration status until New Jersey officials informed the office last Thursday, according to the New York Times. An agency spokesman said that if ICE had been notified earlier, Carranza would have been detained.

They may not have been told that the Peruvian was here illegally because New Jersey does not allow police to ask about a person's immigration status.

Newark is one of a handful of cities nationwide considered a "Sanctuary City." A 2006 state law bars police from asking the immigration status from any individual without criminal cause -- in effect, a "Don't Ask, Don't tell" law for illegal aliens.

As for the Carranza case, "there is no excuse for this to have occurred," talk-radio host Steve Malzberg told Cybercast News Service.

"In Virginia recently, an illegal was convicted of drunk driving and two months later killed two teenage girls while driving drunk. The people in charge have no desire to know who is illegal because to know would mean they'd have to throw them out -- and we can't do that, it's considered racist."

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has criticized the "Sanctuary City" law.

"I want to make sure that those cities that are sending a different message, that they also are hearing from us that their message is not accepted," said Romney in Iowa on Friday. "There are some cities that go out and say 'We are sanctuary cities, we won't enforce immigration laws.' We've got to cut back on the payments we taxpayers make to those cities to let them know that is not the answer."

New Jersey has one of the largest illegal immigrant populations in the country. And some observers think the Newark slayings could play heavily in the 2008 elections.

"Politicians in both parties will point to the Newark killings," said David Rebovich, director of the Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. "There will be some who believe the state must react. Others will say this should be placed in the hands of the federal government. I believe this is a situation that will resonate among voters.

"Governor Corzine has convened a panel for recommendations on how the civil rights of illegal immigrants should be protected. There will be some who will say we cannot wait another 16 months for their report. There will also be those who will not want to wait for either the report or to see how the government deals with this issue."

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the number of immigration arrests in New Jersey has increased 105 percent in the last year. At least one in every six persons taken into custody had a criminal record.

Government statistics show that New Jersey ranks fifth in the nation for spending tax dollars on the education of children born to illegal aliens. And the U.S. Department of Education estimates more than 1.5 million children of illegal immigrants attend public schools in the United States.

"One thing that can be done without controversy is better enforcement of immigration laws at our borders," said Dan Gallic, a New Jersey-based conservative columnist.

"It's time the politicians get their act together and secured the nation's borders. Almost all of the 9/11 radical Muslim terrorist mass murderers were illegal immigrants -- and six years later that hasn't seemed to slow the rate of illegal immigrants being welcomed into this country by politicians. Not securing our borders may be treasonous at this point."

As funerals were held for the three murdered students on Saturday, an arrest warrant was issued for a fourth suspect: 24-year-old Rodolfo Godinez, a.k.a Rodolfo Gomez, a Nicaraguan national who is believed to live in Newark. His younger half-brother is also being sought for questioning in the case.

According to ABC News, some criminologists blame the Bush administration for focusing on terrorism at the expense of local law enforcement. "The message from the federal government - when it comes to crime - is, you're on your own," John Roman, who researches crime trends at the Urban Institute, told World News Tonight.

According to ABC News, "Roman has little optimism that the outrage over these latest murders will be a catalyst for real change."

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