Thread: A revolving door of criminals

Thank you Bush for having our lives threatened by killers with your revolving door policy. You too Pelosi (speaker of the house)


A revolving door of criminals
Many illegal immigrants return after deportation for crimes
Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 1, 2007 12:00 AM

The government has stepped up efforts to deport as many criminals as possible, but many are able to slip back into the country.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not track how many deported criminals are re-captured inside the United States, but immigration officials and border experts say it's likely that many re-enter. And some, when they do come back into the United States, commit more crimes, such as last month's killing of a Phoenix police officer.

The Border Patrol in Arizona has seen an increase in the number of arrests involving criminals, bolstering the idea that the border has become a turnstile for deported criminals. Arizona is the main gateway for unauthorized border crossings.





Background checks by the Border Patrol's Tucson sector turned up illegal border crossers with previous criminal convictions or wanted on outstanding arrests warrants 38,864 times through August. The numbers do not reflect individuals, but rather the number of "hits" for crimes ranging from DUI to homicide.

That is up 13 percent from the 34,388 criminal "hits" the sector logged during the same period the previous fiscal year.

"If they've been here for a long period of time and they are used to being here, they are going to make every effort to try and get back into the U.S.," said agent Jesus Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson sector.

Increased border enforcement, however, could account for some of the increase in criminal hits, because more agents could mean the Border Patrol is catching more criminals trying to re-enter than before, said Andrea Zortman, an ICE spokeswoman in Washington, D.C.

The government deported nearly 90,000 criminals last fiscal year under an aggressive new policy. That was a 25 percent increase from the 70,853 criminals the government deported in fiscal year 2001.

About 72 percent of the criminals deported in 2006 were from Mexico. Criminals from Mexico are released at ports of entry at the border.

The number of criminals deported so far this year, however, has not kept pace with steady increases over the five previous years. Through August, the government had deported 75,569 criminals. The federal fiscal year ended Sunday.



Erik Jovani Martinez, 22, the illegal immigrant who killed Phoenix police Officer Nick Erfle, was deported in March 2006 after a felony conviction for theft. Martinez, who was killed by police, apparently re-entered the country almost immediately. Scottsdale police arrested him on an assault charge just two months after he had been deported.

Though he was an illegal immigrant, Martinez had lived most of life in this country. He was brought here when he was 18 months old, spoke English fluently, and was well integrated in American society, said Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark.

That may have helped Martinez slip through the hands of Scottsdale police. Though Scottsdale police made checks to see whether Martinez had any outstanding warrants, they didn't contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A check with ICE could have revealed that Martinez had previously been deported but the arresting officer did not suspect Martinez was in the country illegally, Clark said.

"It's not like this person stood out as having any immigration issues," Clark said. As a result, Martinez posted $300 bail and was released.

The longer illegal immigrants have lived in the United States, the more likely they are to try to return after they are deported. That is because they are unfamiliar with the country they are being sent to, said David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego.

"It's logical that these individuals have a propensity to come back into this country," Shirk said. "These people are essentially in limbo. Legally they belong in one place, and socially and culturally they belong in another."

Unlike criminals from other countries, criminals being deported to Mexico are dropped off in Nogales and other ports of entry along the border, not repatriated into the interior of the country. That makes it easier for them to come back.

Though not intentional, the "reality is a revolving door" at the border, Shirk said.

ICE has recognized that deported criminals re-entering the country is a growing problem, said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. As a deterrent, the agency is working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to step up prosecution of deported criminals who re-enter the country.

Re-entering the country following a deportation is a felony that carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, she said.

"One of the tools is to use criminal prosecution, and we do that," Kice said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona has prosecuted 15 percent more illegal entry and re-entry cases this year compared with last, said spokeswoman Sandy Raynor.

"We've put more resources on those types of cases," she said.

Just one more reason why the wall needs to be finished ASAP. It doesn't do much good to deport them if they can simply slip back in with no obstacles in their way.

What kills me is they already decrease what the crime is in order not to deport them. I have yet to see any get the penalty a citizen would be given the same exact crime. They commit multiple crimes under different names and the "worst" punishment is deportation? Only to run the border and continue on? Heck.....a citizen would be locked up for life or put to death by now. Not to mention they walk by with a wink and nod on a whole load of other crimes they aren't even charged for that they commit daily.

Moved this article to the News section from General Discussions.