denver & the west
Latinos assail crime forum set in Greeley
By Monte Whaley
Denver Post Staff Writer
[Article Last Updated: 09/18/2007 01:43:00 AM MDT

A forum tonight intended to detail the crimes of illegal immigrants in Weld County also is expected to draw critics who claim the event is a broad-based attack on all immigrants.

Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, who organized "Illegal Immigration: The Untold Stories," is among those who "continue to whack away and pound on immigrants," said Greeley Latino activist Ricardo Romero.

Several groups will be at the forum - scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Island Grove Regional Park - in Greeley to show their displeasure with a "one-sided" portrayal of the immigrant population.

"While we sympathize and acknowledge the suffering of victims of crime, we must as a society take special care not to blame an entire community for the acts of a few," according to a joint statement from Latinos Unidos and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.

Buck, however, said he just wants to show why a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, which should be in Greeley by the end of the year, is needed in Weld County.

"Many people don't see the problems some of our residents face because of the crimes of illegal immigrants," Buck said.

Sandy Ross, 55, is among a group of people who will talk about how crimes committed by illegal immigrants have damaged their lives.

Ross said she was driving home from church in Weld County on Sept. 2, 2005, when a car driven by Armando Rodriguez Romero slammed into hers. Rodriguez Romero was here illegally from Mexico and had stolen his brother's car.

Ross suffered two broken legs, a broken arm and a crushed right foot in the crash. Her 4-year-old son also was injured and traumatized by the crash.

"For the longest time, he would just break down and cry," Ross said.

Ross lost her apartment trying to pay bills related to the crash and now lives with a friend in Arvada. Rodriguez Romero is serving an eight-year sentence for vehicular assault while under the influence.

But Rodriguez Romero will not pay restitution because he is to be deported as soon as his sentence is complete, Ross said.

"I really don't think about him that much because I'm so busy trying to put our lives back together," said Ross, whose son now attends elementary school.

"Still, these types of things are happening to people like us everyday," Ross said, adding she wants to speak tonight to warn others about the pitfalls of America's immigration policies.

Activists argue that a very small minority of illegal immigrants commit crimes. Recent statistics from the Greeley Police Department, for instance, show that only 5 to 8 individuals out of 500 identified gang members in Greeley are undocumented immigrants.

"This forum will just spread bias and hate in our community," Romero said.

Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com

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