Thread: Migrant fray rages; reality hits home

http://www.azcentral.com/news/columns/a ... s0207.html
Migrant fray rages; reality hits home
Laurie Roberts
Republic columnist
Feb. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

At the state Capitol last week, Republicans were busy trying to make the governor look soft on illegal immigration. In downtown Phoenix, an activist was busy staging a hunger strike in hopes of softening hearts on illegal immigration.

In Washington, our leaders were busy doing the usual on illegal immigration: nothing. Meanwhile in Mesa came the best reason yet why we need to quit arguing and fix this mess.

Her name was Laurie Lynn Lorenzen. advertisement




The 48-year-old Gilbert woman was killed by an undocumented immigrant who was running from police.

In a perfect world, 20-year-old Alonso Perez-Perez wouldn't have been on Country Club Road on Friday. Eight days earlier, he'd been stopped by police for driving a car with an invalid plate.

Mesa police Sgt. Chuck Trapani told me Perez-Perez had no driver's license, no insurance, no registration and no idea who owned the car or so he said. He was arrested Jan. 25 and jailed for failure to provide identification, a misdemeanor, and the car was impounded. Within hours, he pleaded guilty, was fined $720, to be paid over time beginning Feb. 15, and was released.

This, even though it may have been his second offense. A guy with the same name and general description but a slightly different birth date was cited Oct. 29 for not having a license or insurance. When he was a no-show in court, the judge suspended his driving privileges, which wasn't much of a penalty given that he had none.

This, even though he was here illegally. Neither police nor the courts checked Perez-Perez's immigration status after the Jan. 25 arrest. They don't on minor traffic stops.

Even if they had checked and found that Perez-Perez was here illegally, it'd be a miracle if that mattered. Here in the real world, Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn't even put holds on people charged with some felonies.

"There was nothing to hold him on," said Lenny Montanaro, deputy administrator for Mesa City Court. "He was arrested, arraigned and released on the same day."

Eight days later, Lorenzen was dead. At 2:30 a.m. Friday, police attempted to stop Perez-Perez, who this time was driving a pickup with an invalid plate. When the officer hit the lights, Perez-Perez hit the gas, racing through streets before running a red light at Country Club and Southern Avenue. Lorenzen never had a chance.

"We have fatal collisions all the time," Trapani said. "It's people driving too fast, not paying attention, under the influence. If you can come up with a good idea how to prevent this . . . "

Actually, I can.

Lorenzen is dead because an undocumented immigrant didn't want to be nailed for not having a driver's license. And because we lack the will or the means to come up with a realistic solution to this immigration morass.

Instead, our national shouting match continues unabated over how to close the border and what to do with the 12 million people who are already here and are, no doubt, driving.

One side casts its opponents as racist, ignoring the fact that what rankles most Americans isn't immigration but illegal immigration. The other side casts its opponents as invaders, ignoring the fact that these people are here at the invitation of employers and with the unspoken blessing of politicians from both parties, who for 20 years have done nothing.

Both sides have dug in for the long haul, claiming the high moral ground even as all possibility of middle ground disappears and with it people like Laurie Lynn Lorenzen.

Enough already. It's time to fix it.



Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic .com or (602) 444-8635. Read her blog at robertsblog.azcentral.com.

Driver runs red light, kills woman
Senta Scarborough
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

A 20-year-old man faces manslaughter charges after he told police he knowingly fled an officer trying to make a traffic stop and drove recklessly, causing an early morning crash Friday that killed a Gilbert woman.

Alonso Perez-Perez, a transient, told police he fled from police because he didn't have a driver's license. He also told officers he ran from the scene of the crash about 2:30 a.m. at Country Club Drive and Southern Avenue that killed Laurie Lynn Lorenzen, 48.

Perez-Perez, who is an undocumented immigrant, told police he drove recklessly and thought he might get into a collision, court records show. He added he knew what he did was wrong and that he shouldn't have fled, records show. advertisement




Lorenzen's landlord, Pamela Passey, said said Lorenzen was a nurse and might have been coming home from work.

Passey said Lorenzen was the mother of two children, a teenage daughter and an adult son.

The family declined to be interviewed.

Eight days before the accident, Mesa police cited Perez-Perez with failure to have identification during a traffic stop, Mesa police Sgt. Chuck Trapani said.

"It is a senseless death," Trapani said. "He was facing invalid plate and no driver's license tickets. Now he is facing felony charges. . . . This is totally unfortunate."

The incident began about 2:20 a.m. Friday when a Mesa police officer attempted a traffic stop at Mesa Drive and Eighth Avenue after noticing a white 1989 Toyota half-ton pickup truck had invalid license plates. The truck, driven by Perez-Perez, failed to yield and sped off.

A Mesa police helicopter located the truck still driving erratically on U.S. 60 exiting at Country Club Drive.

The truck headed north on Country Club, ran a red light and collided with an eastbound Chevrolet Impala driven by Lorenzen, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Perez-Perez was booked on suspicion of manslaughter, failure to stay with a death or injury, and unlawful flight from law enforcement.

Perez-Perez, who is an undocumented immigrant, told police he drove recklessly and thought he might get into a collision, court records show. He added he knew what he did was wrong and that he shouldn't have fled, records show. advertisement

Why can't they say it like it is? ILLEGAL ALIEN!!

So many deaths at the hands of illegal aliens.