Thread: Irving activist Carlos Quintanilla arrested

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

I don't support this guy, but man they really picked some little stuff to arrest him on. Is there something bigger in the mix the reporter excluded from the list?

Arrested for expired tags, no insurance, and no license or expired license? That is bad, but usually a police officer will issue you a ticket and tell you to come to court to clear it by showing you got everything in order.

W

Arrested for "outstanding warrants". He faile to take care of his previous violations. So, when they catch up with you, you're arrested.

I was arrested on my birthday, due to an unpaid speeding ticket. Three local police came to the house, cuffed me and took me down town. My prints were taken and I was photographed. They acepted credit cards and I paid the fine. They drove me back home and wished me a happy birthday.

The 'financial responsibility' may be insurance coverage or having monies on deposit in the amount of the minimum liability required.

star-telegram.com

CARLOS QUINTANILLA IRVING -- An anti-deportation rally fizzled Thursday after the lead organizer was arrested for outstanding warrants.

Carlos Quintanilla was arrested on seven outstanding warrants for fines totaling more than $3,000 shortly after holding a news conference in Irving with Spanish-language media. The arrest came several hours before his rally was scheduled to begin. Quintanilla was released about 9:30 p.m.

The rally, which drew fewer than 100 people, would have been Quintanilla's third demonstration against Irving's Criminal Alien Program. The program refers suspected illegal immigrants in the city jail to federal immigration authorities. It has resulted in more than 1,700 deportations since it began in September 2006.

Irving police spokesman David Tull said Quintanilla was warned about the warrants when he applied for a permit to hold the rally. The department routinely performs background checks on people who apply for permits.

Tull said Quintanilla was told that he needed to pay the fines with Farmers Branch, Dallas and Dallas County or risk being arrested the next time he was in Irving. The warrants were issued on suspicion of misdemeanors including a seat-belt violation and trespassing.

"He's had ample opportunity to take care of it," Tull said. "He chose himself not to take care of the situation. ... We did our law enforcement duties and arrested him."

Quintanilla said late Thursday that he should have taken care of his warrants but forgot. He said that Irving police did not warn him about the warrants and that he believes that police arrested him to derail his activism.

"I can guarantee you that there is a conspiratory mood in this city," Quintanilla said. "Now, I am going to be even bolder."

Tony Hinojosa, a member of Quintanilla's group Accion America said it is suspicious that police would arrest Quintanilla the day he was holding a rally. Hinojosa blamed Quintanilla's arrest for the rally's small turnout.

"What went wrong is they cut off the voice of the people when they put him in jail," Hinojosa said. "When the people heard he was in jail, they were afraid to come out. I think that's one of the reasons we had such a poor turnout. ... We'll recuperate, we'll regroup and start all over again."

Thursday's arrest wasn't Quintanilla's first brush with the law.

In 1991, he was convicted with two others in a U.S. District Court in Chicago of defrauding G. Heileman Brewing Co. out of nearly $700,000 between 1983 and 1987, according to a 1991 report in the Chicago Tribune.

Quintanilla was sentenced to six months in a federal prison and five years' probation on racketeering conspiracy and other charges.

He was convicted in the kickback scheme, which duped the brewing company into sponsoring bogus community events or nonexistent organizations through his nonprofit Hispanic community organization Operation Search, the Tribune reported.

Quintanilla said Thursday that he doesn't feel that conviction hurts his credibility because the Irving issue is about immigrant rights.

He added that his arrest in Irving makes him an example, because he can go home to his family while suspected illegal immigrants face deportation.

Staff writer Melissa Vargas contributed to this report.

PATRICK McGEE, 817-685-3806
pmcgee@star-telegram.com

Originally Posted by CitizenJustice

"failure to maintain financial responsibility,"

Child support possibly?

in Texas this means NO AUTO INSURANCE

I don't get the irresponsibility of some people.I would be scared to death to drive without a drivers license and/or auto insurance.

First I would not intenionally break our laws,second I would worry,if I were in an accident and hurt someone,I would loose everything I own in a lawsuit and would feel I deserved it for not having the proper insurance.

I hope he gets some jail time for his obvious disrespect for other citizens & the law.

Irving police arrest activist Carlos Quintanilla
08:59 PM CST on Thursday, November 15, 2007
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL and BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
Irving PD

Carlos Quintanilla IRVING – The driving force behind recent protests against Irving police immigration policies didn't get to attend the latest rally he had planned for Thursday at City Hall.

Carlos Quintanilla spent most of the day in jail after being arrested by Irving police on outstanding warrants after he had concluded a television interview.

Police said Mr. Quintanilla, leader of Dallas-based Accion America, had seven outstanding warrants – mostly traffic citations – from police in Dallas and Farmers Branch and the Dallas County sheriff's office. He was arrested after an Irving police lieutenant saw him giving an interview to a reporter in the 1000 block of East Irving Boulevard.

Police said Thursday that they became aware of Mr. Quintanilla's warrants when they performed a background check after he applied for a parade permit last month. He was told to take care of the warrants before returning to Irving or face arrest, police said. Mr. Quintanilla was being held at Irving jail late Thursday in lieu of $3,014 bail and could not be reached for comment.

Only about three dozen protesters, mostly Hispanics, gathered at Irving City Hall by 4:30 p.m. Thursday for the latest protest of the Police Department's policy of turning over arrestees suspected to be illegal immigrants to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

That turnout was dramatically lower than what had been expected and promoted. It also was much lower than the several hundred people who turned out for similar rallies in Irving in September and October. At the October rally, a group that supports the Criminal Alien Program also rallied to voice its support of police. The Citizens for Immigration Reform also will rally again at 10 a.m. Saturday at Irving City Hall.

Some of Mr. Quintanilla's supporters said he views his arrest as an example of the disparities in how people are treated in Irving.

"He wanted me to pass on the message that 1,638 people were arrested [since last fall], and they didn't have the opportunity to be bailed out because they are not here legally," said Abimael Cerda, event coordinator for Accion America.

"Carlos is not being singled out," Irving Mayor Herbert Gears said. "We've been aware of his warrants for some time now, and it just happened that he encountered a police officer and was arrested."

Irving police spokesman David Tull said police didn't arrest Mr. Quintanilla at last month's rally because they didn't want to incite the large crowd.

Irving has been in the national spotlight recently for the large number of suspected illegal immigrants turned over to immigration officials. The Police Department last year began using the federal Criminal Alien Program. Since then, they have turned over more than 1,600 arrestees.

The program puts Irving police in round-the-clock contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who are notified by Irving if they have a person who may be in the U.S. illegally. The immigration enforcement agency then investigates the person's status and in some cases starts deportation proceedings.

Although the immigration enforcement agency does not track the numbers of detainers by cities nationally, Mr. Gears believes Irving is the No. 1 city in the U.S. for number of deportation detainers placed on jail inmates. That has drawn fire from many Hispanics and acclaim from anti-illegal immigration groups.

Supporters of the program say Irving officials are just following the letter of the law and taking advantage of a federal program that is available to all cities. Opponents say that officers racially profile, harass Hispanics about citizenship status and effectively create an atmosphere of fear within the Hispanic community.

Several attendants Thursday said the low turnout was due to fears of police harassment. Several said police are not checking the immigration status only of people in jail but asking for it whenever they come into contact with people.

"Things have gotten worse" in recent weeks, said Irving resident Ana Garcia, 38.

Some of those who attended the rally also told stories about police pulling them over and asking them about the number of people who live in their homes and what their citizenship status is – yet not issuing any citations.

But police and city officials have repeatedly denied accusations that officers racially profile or ask for proof of citizenship. They maintain that police apply the same rules to all people and that those who are arrested on criminal charges then deal with the immigration enforcement agency only if citizenship cannot be proved at the jail.

"We've found no evidence of those allegations, and we've looked into several complaints," Mr. Gears said.

Thursday's rally came one day after Mexican President Felipe Calderon blasted what he called "the growing harassment" of Mexicans in the U.S. He expressed concerns over recent U.S. immigration raids and what he said are U.S. presidential candidates using migrants as "symbolic hostages."

Before his arrest Thursday, Mr. Quintanilla said he and about 150 other Hispanic leaders from around the nation met with President Calderon on Wednesday.

Accion America leaders said they also planned to express their opposition to the Criminal Alien Program at the Irving City Council meeting later Thursday night.

"Today is the first time we will see the faces, the eyes of the council members ... the white, Anglo Saxon, Protestant City Council members of a city that's 43 percent Hispanic," Mr. Quintanilla said earlier Thursday.

He said the group plans to pressure council members to end the city's use of program or resign because they don't represent the majority of Irving residents.

Last week, Irving resident Manuel Benavidez filed a federal voting rights lawsuit against the city of Irving and its nine council members, alleging that the council's at-large voting system effectively denies representation to the city's Hispanics. The lawsuit requests that a U.S. District Court declare that the at-large method violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also asks that the city be ordered to disband at-large voting and develop a new system of electing council members.

This report also includes material from The Associated Press.

E-mail ssandoval@dallasnews.com and bformby@dallasnews.com

WARRANTS AGAINST ACTIVIST

Here's a look at the warrants – and their respective agencies – against activist Carlos Quintanilla, who was arrested Thursday in Irving. On Thursday, Irving police also arrested Mr. Quintanilla on a charge of driving with an invalid license.

•Criminal trespass, Dallas County sheriff's office

•Expired registration, Farmers Branch police

•Failure to maintain financial responsibility, Farmers Branch police

•Speeding, Farmers Branch police

•No seat belt, Dallas police

•No driver's license, Dallas police

•City ordinance violation, Dallas police
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 76ee4.html

Police said Thursday that they became aware of Mr. Quintanilla's warrants when they performed a background check after he applied for a parade permit last month. He was told to take care of the warrants before returning to Irving or face arrest, police said. Mr. Quintanilla was being held at Irving jail late Thursday in lieu of $3,014 bail and could not be reached for comment.

Looks like the police gave the perp every opportunity to address his crimes and have the warants removed BEFORE his arrest. As usual, he didn't because LAWS mean nothing to ILLEGAL ALIENS and their ANARCHIST ACTIVISTS.

Lesson #1 to all public protesters or 'would-be' or 'wannabe' protesters...

Make sure you don't have any outstanding warrants before you apply for your parade / public assembly permit.

Rules are a real biiiiiaaattch, aren't they?
(I say Karma was involved here... )

people should show up at these rallies wearing ICE hats