Thread: Residents want police, prosecutor to crack down on illegal

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Residents want police, prosecutor to crack down on illegal residents
Father of man killed outside Mason bar wants politicians 'to listen'
By Tiffany Y. Latta

Staff Writer

Thursday, September 14, 2006

HAMILTON TWP. — Bill Barnhill is determined to stop people living in the country illegally from calling Warren County home.

Barnhill's son Kevin was killed in Mason last month and the men accused of the crime had entered the United States without a visa, police said. Now Barnhill is among a dozen residents who have formed Citizens for Legal Communities to discourage people who have entered the county illegally from settling in Warren County.

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Police continue to search for a man wanted in connection with the beating and stabbing death of Barnhill near the Mason Pub. Enrique Torres, 27, of Cincinnati is wanted for complicity to commit murder in the death of Kevin Barnhill.

Humberto Mota, 30, of Mason faces the same charge and is being held at the Warren County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

"I'm on a crusade to get the word out about this increasing problem. I'll do all I can to get politicians to listen, even if it means taking this issue to the Supreme Court,'' Barnhill said.

He and the other residents met Thursday evening with county officials including Sheriff Tom Ariss and Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel to learn what law enforcement officials can do to help.

Hutzel and Ariss said that in the past six months there's been an increase in violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Warren County. To help, residents must contact their elected officials and demand stiffer penalties for who commit felonies while living in the United States illegally, Hutzel and Ariss said.

They also said residents must demand that elected federal officials beef up the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that patrol Ohio counties.

"We have no authority to charge them for being illegal. They only thing we can do is charge them for violating laws,'' Ariss said.

Police responded to a call of a man carrying a baseball bat outside the Mason Pub on U.S. 42 on Aug. 26. They could not find the man, but did find Kevin Barnhill, badly beaten behind the building. He died at the scene.

Witnesses told police there was a fight at the bar that spilled out into the parking lot and to the rear of the building where Barnhill was found.

Mota was indicted two weeks ago in Warren County on drug possession charges for cocaine he had when he was booked into the Warren County Jail, officials sai

So sad.

When will government start listening to the families of the dead victims of illegal aliens?

When will government start listening to the families of the dead victims of illegal aliens?

Maybe when their child becomes a victim.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 50369/1077

Crime by illegal aliens prompts action
Warren County group hopes to get tougher laws in Ohio
BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
HAMILTON TWP. - Some Warren County residents have formed a citizen action group to try to stem illegal immigration and the crime they say it is bringing to their fast-growing county.

Citizens for Legal Communities held its first meeting Thursday night at the Hamilton Township Community Center. The group was formed after the stabbing death of a 27-year-old man in Mason last month, allegedly at the hands of at least one illegal immigrant.

Joined by County Administrator Dave Gully, Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel, Sheriff Tom Ariss and other law enforcement and court officials, the group of nine residents discussed for about two hours what, if anything, they can do.


"It's a matter of trying to find out what we can do locally," said Hamilton Township resident William Barnhill. His son, Kevin Barnhill, was found stabbed to death Aug. 26 after a fight outside the Mason Pub.

Humberto Rodriguez Mota, 30, of Mason, and Enrique Torres, 36, of Cincinnati, are charged with complicity to murder.

Mota is believed to be in the country illegally. He is due in Mason Municipal Court on Tuesday. Torres remains at large.

Barnhill wants immediate deportation for those found to be in the country illegally and stiff sentences of 15 years or more for those who harbor them or provide them with false documentation.

He's talked to his state and federal representatives. He wants something done. He hopes this citizen group can help get it started.

"My wife and I are not going to let it go," he said. "We owe it to our son."

The group had a lot of questions.

"How can a landlord be allowed to rent one apartment to 20 people without getting documentation from any of them?" asked Julie Stephens of Hamilton Township, a friend of Kevin Barnhill. She was referring to a complex where she used to live.

South Lebanon business owner Larry Lehman wanted to know why no one ever checks his paperwork.

He said it would confirm that all his employees are documented citizens.

They were exasperated to learn that when an illegal immigrant is arrested, immigration officials seldom come to deport them.

They plan to circulate petitions to put more teeth in an Ohio immigration bill proposed this week.

With a campaign of letters, petitions and lots of talking, this small group hopes to make a difference.

"One of our residents was killed brutally by an illegal alien," said Judi Lehman, Larry Lehman's wife and group organizer. "For years we kind of turned our head. Maybe it's time we do something. We're a small voice, but maybe we can help."

Hutzel said her office has seen an increase in the past six months in the number of crimes being committed by people who are in the country illegally.

"It used to be fairly unusual," Hutzel said. "Now we're seeing one felony a week at grand jury."

It creates problems for the prosecutor's office because the suspects have no paper trail, she said. In one case, her office had to conduct DNA analysis to figure out the true identity and age of a defendant accused of having sex with a minor. He had false documentation showing he was 16. He was actually 26.

"It's a problem," she said. "And it's becoming more of a problem in places like Warren County."

Gully said nothing will get done until the federal government sees immigration enforcement as a priority. It's a manpower issue, he said. There are nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents serving 22 area counties in Ohio.

The American Civil Liberties Union admits the immigration system is broken, but warns that there is a fine line between strict immigration enforcement and racial profiling.

For more information, call 937-783-5020.

E-mail jlbrown@enquirer.com

Originally Posted by Brian503a

"We have no authority to charge them for being illegal. They only thing we can do is charge them for violating laws,'' Ariss said.

There really should be a literacy requirement for the office of Sheriff.