Thread: Hispanic Leaders Upset Over Opening Of Immigration Office

Hispanic Leaders Upset Over Opening Of Immigration Office posted 3:35 pm Tue September 23, 2008 - Tulsa reporter: Yvonne Harris posted by: Kevin King tags: immigration • illegal • ice office



Leaders in the Hispanic community are upset over the opening of a fugitive office, designed to capture criminal undocumented immigrants. Some feel the implications go beyond catching criminals.

Sunday, U.S. Representative John Sullivan announced the opening of the immigration office, which the sheriff's office hopes the office will be housed at the Tulsa County Jail.

Everyone agrees felons should be off the streets and locked up. But, what the Hispanic community fears is the round-up of undocumented workers under the guise of looking for felons.

"If ICE goes to a work site to arrest a fugitive and they found out there are undocumented aliens there, the mandate is to arrest everyone," says Community Activist Sebastian Lantos. "I don't see how that's not going to happen."

One attorney told NewsChannel 8's Yvonne Harris the new office also puts fear into landlords and employers who may be housing or employing illegal immigrants.

It was one year ago the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office cross-trained deputies to help capture illegal immigrants in violation of the federal immigration law.

"We have arrested some real-live bad guys," says Chief Deputy Tim Albin. "I'm talking about guys that did 15 years in the California State Penitentiary for lewd molestation, rape of a child. When they completed their sentence, they were deported, they re-entered the country illegally and were right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma."

We did some checking. And, since last September, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has processed more than 13-hundred illegal immigrants who have either been removed from the United States or have been placed into immigration proceedings.

Of that number, 548 were for crimes like driving under the influence, drugs and assault and battery, seventeen were for sex crimes and one for murder. The remaining 809 cases are believed to have been for traffic violations.

The fugitive office will have a permanent presence in Tulsa and will have seven officers in addition to the four others who are temporarily assigned to handle investigations, detentions and removals of undocumented illegals.


http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0908/555875.html

One attorney told NewsChannel 8's Yvonne Harris the new office also puts fear into landlords and employers who may be housing or employing illegal immigrants.

Well, isn't that special: giving law breakers something to worry about other than their pocketbooks.
Interesting also that this attorney was not named.

"If ICE goes to a work site to arrest a fugitive and they found out there are undocumented aliens there, the mandate is to arrest everyone," says Community Activist Sebastian Lantos. "I don't see how that's not going to happen."

Ya think, Sebastian? That's what ICE does, it finds ILLEGAL ALIENS and processes them for deportation. That's it's ONLY job, to go after ILLEGAL ALIENS aka criminals. DUH!

This is WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!