Robbers preying on illegal immigrants
Reported by: Marcos Ortiz
Last Update: 8/26 8:00 pm

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Latino's are increasingly becoming targets of crime, but they're keeping it a secret.

Here's an example, two robberies by the same suspects in Salt Lake City. Police say two white men could be preying on undocumented immigrants.

The latest incident happened near 1650 west and 1000 north. So why aren't the victims calling police?

It has to do with their legal status. Victims are afraid police will notify immigration, and that's what the suspects are counting on.

Two white men robbed a 19-year-old Latino on a busy street. But no one stopped to help. And once police arrived they soon learned others in the neighborhood had been robbed too.

Police say the suspects were white men preying on the Latino community. Police also say immigrant families sometimes refuse to report a crime for fear of deportation.

The owner of a small cafe says that's not uncommon. Carlos Vasquez, the Café owner says, “A lot of people have many things to say but they don't say it because of their situation. They don't have papers; they don't feel like they have a voice."

Last year when a nearby grocery store was held up, police helped track down the robbers. A store clerk says police care about criminals not victims.

Guadalupe Tenoreo, a store clerk says, “We can't stay silent about things like this. We have to report crimes that happen to us. Because if we don't, it won't get better.â€