Shocking percentage of DWI arrests involve suspected illegal immigrants

Posted: Nov 25, 2008 12:10 AM EST
Updated: Nov 25, 2008 12:19 AM EST
By Tom Roussey - bio | email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - It's been over 3 years since Emily Moose lost her son Scott -- a popular Gaston County teacher -- to a drunk driver. Scott's wife Tina remains in a vegetative state, her young children being raised by her parents.

Emily says one fact has made this especially hard to deal with: "It could have been prevented. My son didn't have to die."

Garder is one of a number of people in our area who've died in accidents caused by drunk illegal immigrants. The man who pled guilty in Gardner's case is Ramiro Gallegos. He'd been in court before and convicted of DWI before.

"We as a family and all the others with us have been betrayed by a failed and broken system that should have worked properly in the beginning," Emily told WBTV.

A WBTV Investigation reveals what Gallegos did hasn't stopped. We went through every single Mecklenburg DWI arrest on weekends this month: 25% of the arrests were suspected illegal immigrants. That means one out of of every four people arrested for DWI was an alleged illegal immigrant.

Some days are worse than others. On Sunday, November 9th, nearly half of the 13 DWI arrests were suspected illegals.

"it's wrong for everybody to drink and drive!" said Maudia Melendez with Jesus Ministry Inc. She says local Hispanic media have been pounding home the message to immigrants not to drink and drive, and she feels its happening less.

She questions whether Latino illegal immigrants are really drinking and driving more than any other group, or whether police are just arresting them more.

"Can you show me why you have such a high percentage? Did you go to directly to where they live, or were checkpoints close by to where they live?"

Local congresswoman Sue Myrick has been trying for several years now to get the Scott Gardner Act passed. Among other things, It would automatically deport any illegal immigrant convicted of DWI. Moose feels it would save lives.

http://www.wbtv.com/global/story.asp?s=9409464