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  1. #1
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    Illegal immigrant arrested

    Illegal immigrant arrested
    By GINNIE GRAHAM AND JIM MYERS World Staff Writers
    4/21/2005

    She had been featured in a recent newspaper story.
    An illegal immigrant who, in a Tulsa World story, encouraged other undocumented workers to pay taxes has been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Gloria Rubio, a stay-at-home mother of three children, was taken into custody at her home Tuesday night. Her youngest child, a 3-year-old daughter, is an American citizen.

    Her husband is also an illegal immigrant and offered to go in her place, but the federal agents chose to arrest his wife. He said the agents would not allow him to make a phone call during the arrest, saying they did not want to draw media attention.

    Rubio agreed to be interviewed by the World about a tax service catering to immigrants, both legal and illegal. During the interview, she said becoming legal was her priority and that paying taxes shows loyalty and support to the country. She gave consent to use her name and have a photo taken.

    The story appeared on page A-11 on March 16.

    Carl Rusnok, a spokesman in Dallas for the immigration service, said an anonymous letter containing the story was sent to agents in the Oklahoma City office.

    "This is not retribution where we are wanting to get her because we are embarrassed by it," Rusnok said. "There is nothing like that going on. We are sensitive to seeing illegal aliens prominently displayed in newspapers.

    "People here illegally should not feel so far from prosecution that they can be featured on the front page of a newspaper with immunity."

    After the article was published, comments critical of Rubio were made in letters written to the editorial department and during a public meeting of Immigration Reform for Oklahoma Now.

    At the meeting in response to a question about Rubio's interview, an immigration agent said the agents planned to arrest her.

    Rusnok was not at the meeting.

    "There wasn't much time at all expended to find her, and there was no pressure from elected officials to do so," Rusnok said. "We are following immigration law."

    Steven Dow, the executive director of the Community Action Project of Tulsa County, which runs the tax service program, said there was a concern immigrants that will now avoid paying taxes.

    The Internal Revenue Service requires all workers, illegal and legal, to pay taxes. The immigration service also considers whether a person has paid taxes in citizenship applications.

    "It has taken us an enormous amount of time to build the trust within the community, particularly the undocumented immigrants who are living and working here, to get them to understand the concept of paying taxes," Dow said. "We are very, very worried this will have a chilling effect on the efforts made."

    Dow said he helped locate an immigration attorney to handle Rubio's case and hopes a judge will give her a fair hearing.

    "It's obvious the federal government in this case is sending a conflicting message," Dow said. "We want to take seriously that the IRS wants them to pay taxes. At the same time, you have Homeland Security deporting people who, in a visible and public way, encourage other people in a similar situation to pay their taxes."

    Dow said it was obvious that Rubio was targeted for granting the interview.

    "I would be hard pressed to believe that she would be at the top of the government's deportation list," he said. "Nothing in her behavior or background suggests otherwise. There have been far more egregious violations going on every day, which do not generate the government to act as swiftly, prominently and visibly as this."

    The immigration service has been criticized for not more effectively enforcing immigration laws.

    Last September, immigration agents authorized the release of as many as 17 possible illegal immigrants following a traffic stop on Interstate 44 near Catoosa. In 2002, about 18 illegal Mexicans were released in Tulsa with immigration agency authorization.

    U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, who has made immigration one of his major issues, said the agents were correct in detaining Rubio.

    "I appreciate the job they do, but I am disappointed that the only illegal immigrants they can detain are featured on the front page of the newspaper," the Oklahoma Republican said.

    "We have a van of 18 -- this is just one example -- 18 illegals and juveniles with drugs and alcohol in an admitted smuggling load to Chicago. They let them go."

    Sullivan once again stressed the importance of his efforts to open a local immigration and customs enforcement office in Tulsa. Not only would that help alleviate frustration with the current situation, but it would help focus the agency's efforts on apprehending those who pose dangers to the community, he said.

    Sullivan believes the enforcement should not stop with Rubio and her husband, who works full time as a janitor.

    "The employer is breaking the law just as badly," he said.

    Rusnok said the agents failed to respond to two of 31 requests from local law enforcement through the end of September last year. There are five agents in Oklahoma with a primary responsibility of investigating immigration-related issues.

    "Our highest priority is to arrest, detain and remove criminal aliens. However, that does not mean no criminal aliens will not be arrested," Rusnok said.

    "Anyone in the country illegally should be well aware anytime they encounter law enforcement it is possible that will be detained and removed from the country, criminal or not."

    Rubio, who is a Mexican native, let her tourist visa lapse in 2001. She is married and has three children. One is enrolled in an elementary school, one attends an early childhood center and the youngest stays home with Rubio.

    The youngest child was born in the United States and is an American citizen.

    The couple participate on parent committees at their children's schools, volunteer in a drug-free communities program and volunteer at church and community programs to help Spanish-speaking people.

    The family was able to buy a house by saving money after attending a home-buying seminar.

    Rubio will most likely appear before a federal immigration judge, who will determine whether she should be deported. If she is deported, she would be barred from entering the country legally for 10 years.

    Rusnok said he did not know why the agents chose to arrest Rubio instead of her husband.

    "We bend over backwards to try and keep kids together with at least one family member," Rusnok said. "Even when agents encounter an unaccompanied minor, they try to pair with a relative. The idea is to make sure children have a stable environment. Only after they fail to find any relatives do they put children in a shelter environment."
    FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

  2. #2
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    Her husband is also an illegal immigrant and offered to go in her place, but the federal agents chose to arrest his wife
    Excuse Me???????? Now we SELECT which ILLEGALS that we arrest?
    A kind of PICK & CHOOSE thing going on???

    This is beyond STUPID!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  3. #3
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    Lets see.....
    In the country illegally.
    Give interview to a newspaper.
    Can't understand why you might be deported.
    What kind of an idiot is this?

    Sorry, but I am not the least bit sorry.
    http://www.alipac.us Enforce immigration laws!

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