Thread: Woman's arrest fuels debate on immigration

Woman's arrest fuels debate on immigration

By Aaron Burgin, The Porterville Recorder
For the thousands of Mexican nationals who immigrate to the Central Valley for the sole purpose of work, and who abide by the laws, there is a Graciela Barrios.

People like Barrios, proponents of comprehensive immigration reform said, cause the debate over what to do with the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants - most of whom are Hispanic laborers - to grind to a halt on the legislative floor.

Barrios, 45, was arrested by Porterville Police Department detectives Tuesday after they performed a search warrant on her 800 East Putnam Avenue residence and found suspected methamphetamine packaged for sale, weighing scales, various other drug-related items and $15,000 believed to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs.

This was not the first time Barrios had been arrested on these charges.

Barrios had previously been deported for the sale of a controlled substance, and had re-entered the country illegally.

Incidents such as these often become ammunition for proponents of more strict immigration policies, including those who supported a congressional bill that would have made illegal immigrants felons, because they demonstrate the porous nature of the border.

Immigration reform proponents, which include a number of Valley legislators and activists, however, fear that examples such as Barrios are perceived as the rule, rather than the exception.

“The vast majority of people coming from Mexico are doing so in order to work, and they want to work lawfully and don't want to be here engaged in criminal activities,” said Andrew House, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. “These reports, really put a strain on us who are advocating a reasoned approach to dealing with illegal immigration, because it builds a negative stereotype in the minds of congresspersons, and the American people.”

Situations such as Barrios', however, are not uncommon, according to numerous statistics.

A 2004 report released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an anti-illegal immigration group, found that 48,000 illegal immigrants are being housed in California prisons and jails, at a cost of $1.4 billion annually.

Additionally, an average of 5,000 immigrants are deported from California each year since 2004 as a result of their criminal activity, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

With California's budget deficit situation, FAIR spokesman Jack Martin said the money used to house criminals who should not be in the country is detrimental to the state.

“Most people are coming here looking for jobs, nevertheless, the state of our borders makes it open to people coming across for the purpose of committing crimes. It points to the advantage of getting control over entry into the country,” Martin said. “California is running a deficit situation, anything that is a major amount of money is further an erosion of the creditworthiness of the state.”

While these statistics are growing, House quickly points out the numbers pale in comparison to the number of immigrants who live crime-free lives and add to the nation's economy through their work.

“The media doesn't report on all the good work, you don't see news reports about the immigrant who works 14 hours a day, pays taxes and does not get into trouble,” House said. “However, when the media reports about a crime committed by someone who shouldn't be in the country, people who don't live in areas where immigrants reside begin to develop these negative stereotypes.”

“It does a great disservice to generalize illegal immigration as a massive criminal problem, and it is part of the reason why Congress has been unable to deal with the undocumented workers who are here in the U.S.,” House said.

Officials with United Farm Workers, a crucial group in the debate over illegal immigration, agreed with House.

“Anti-immigration organizations work hard to paint a picture that all immigrants are criminals or threats to society,” said Alisha Rosas, communications director for the UFW. “It's true, when real-life examples are revealed; it provides fuel to their fire.

“When immigration reform is involved, however, it is important to refocus and consider the tens of thousands of people positively impacting our state and nation, such as farmworkers, who work so hard to put food on America's table.”

House, however, said Nunes believes true border reform also means ensuring that immigrants with criminal histories are not allowed into the country.

“Congressman Nunes does not disagree that the borders need to be controlled. We need to know who is coming across, and the criminal element needs to be denied access to the country,” House said. “A lot of bad people have taken advantage of the porous nature of the border.”

As for Barrios, Porterville Police Department Sgt. Duanne Griffin said the woman was arrested and booked at Bob Wiley Detention Facility. ICE has placed a “no bail” hold on Barrios. She will be immediately deported after she finishes a likely prison sentence, ICE spokeswoman Laurie Haley said.

“We believe that anyone who commits a crime in this country should pay for that crime here,” Haley said.

Contact Aaron Burgin at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or aburgin@portervillerecorder.com.

This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on March 16, 2007


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Lawyers are making a fortune off the feds negligence . From our pockets to theirs .

Oh please. How many stories have we heard about the poor hard working immigrants being pulled from the arms of crying infants and returned to their own country?
I see many more stories of support for illegals than I do against them. Prime time news is the worst. Did you hear Kennedy and Kerry were going to the raid site in Mass. to speak with the detainees?

Where are all the stories about how devastating ID theft can be or IRS demands for tax payments on money you did not earn, but someone else using your number.
What about car insurance claims where the "at fault" driver had no license or insurance, or was drunk? We don't hear too many of these stories thru the media. I have heard of several traffic accidents where the drivers ran away.
These are all swept away so we won't notice what a HUGE problem we actually have.
Occasionally a negative story slips through or you find a courageous reporter, not afraid to tell the truth.