Thread: Proposed bill honors fallen Fort Myers officer...

Proposed bill honors fallen Fort Myers officer, hopes to toughen immigration laws
PAMELA STAIK, Charlotte Sun-Herald staff
2:39 p.m., Tuesday, August 26, 2008

PUNTA GORDA — In response to the shooting death of Fort Myers Police Officer Andrew Widman, U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney announced Tuesday during a press conference at the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office his plans to a bill to strengthen immigration laws.

Widman, a husband and father of three children, was shot and killed in the early hours of July 18 when he tried to intervene in a domestic fight outside of a Fort Myers nightclub.

The assailant, 26-year-old legal alien Abel Arrango, was subsequently shot and killed by other officers at the scene as he attempted to flee.

Arrango was on state probation for armed robbery and was arrested in April for selling cocaine. After being held in jail for one month, Arrango was released on bond.

This situation, said Mahoney, a Democrat representing Florida’s District 16, could have been avoided if the Immigration and Nationality Act was tougher.

Under the current law, he said immigrants who are ordered to be deported but cannot complete the order cannot be held for longer than six months in jail unless they are deemed to be a threat to public safety, health or national security.

This coincides with a 2000 Supreme Court ruling which gave the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency the ability to make the decision on whether the criminal is regarded as a threat.

Arrango had been ordered to be deported back to Cuba, however, the country would not accept him.

“This is not an unusual situation,â€

How many Americans must die before we kick these illegals out of OUR country?