Thread: NM-Candidate Challenges City's Immigration Policy

Candidate Challenges City's Immigration Policy
Rep. Berry Pushing For Police To Question Suspects On Immigration Status
POSTED: 6:39 pm MDT June 24, 2009
UPDATED: 6:53 pm MDT June 24, 2009


Albuquerque police arrest a third person in connection with the deadly shooting at a Denny's Restaurant.

Mario Burgos-Rosales was being held on a $200,000 bond Wednesday.

He's charged with harboring and aiding a felon.

A criminal complaint said Burgos-Rosales drove Francisco Melgar to Phoenix and paid someone to take Melgar into Mexico.

Melgar is wanted on charges of taking part in the Denny's robbery and shooting Saturday morning that killed a cook at the restaurant.

Police arrested two other men in connection with the case on Saturday.

The shooting has also become a political issue.

One Albuquerque mayoral candidate said it's time to change city policy, but the city said those proposed changes are already law.

Rep. Richard Berry, a Republican running for mayor, said, "While police are still investigating this crime one thing is clear there are a couple of policies need to change to protect the citizens of Albuquerque."

Police said Marvin Lopez-Aguilar and Pablo Ortiz, the two suspects arrested Saturday, are in the U.S. illegally.

Berry said Lopez Aguilar, Ortiz and Melgar are solely to blame for the crime, but the city's policies aren’t helping.

"I will get rid of so-called sanctuary city policies the mayor has put into place that prohibit officers from asking suspects in crimes about immigration status," Berry said.

Pete Dinelli, with the City of Albuquerque, said, "Mr. Berry's accusations are either a joke, are show just how ignorant he is of the issues."

Mayor Martin Chavez would not talk about Berry's statements on Wednesday, instead referring us to Dinelli.

Dinelli pointed to a law on the books that allows Albuquerque police look into immigration status of suspects and he thought Berry's ideas would head in a bad direction.

"Mr. Berry is advocating a policy of racial profiling," Dinelli said.

Berry took on another controversial topic Wednesday saying if elected, he would work to end New Mexico's policy of giving drivers licenses to those in the country illegally.


http://www.koat.com/news/19850871/detail.html

God Bless, Mr. Berry and I hope he sticks with this. He will need God's help because the Hispanics in this state won't give a hoot. They are so used to the patron system they think we really are just "New" Mexico.