A Very Special Episode of “Deport the Criminals First”
Regular readers know that it’s been a pet issue of Patterico for quite some time to Deport the Criminals First. His point is simple: regardless of how you feel about illegal immigration, everyone can agree that the least desirable illegals — and thus the ones we should be deporting first — are the criminals. So once a criminal has served his time, he should be deported.
Most of the stories Patterico has covered on this beat are tragic — cases where an illegal immigrant has killed multiple victims, or a child.
This is not one of those stories:
As it turns out, Kenosha Sheriff’s deputy Russ Preston wasn’t wearing Batman briefs.
But that didn’t stop the crime-fighting crusader, who was only wearing boxer-brief underwear at the time, from nabbing a drunken driver in his Racine neighborhood Thursday night.
***
“When I told him what he did, he just said, ‘Oh, sorry,’” Preston said. “I don’t think this was his first time. He already told me he had been deported once and he had a fake ID.”
You will want to RTWT, if only for some of the choice details provided by a local bank president. As funny as this story is, it is also a reminder that there are plenty of cases of illegal immigrants committing crimes, causing property damage, raising insurance rates, etc., that will escape public notice precisely because they are not tragic or shocking.
–Karl
That was a great story. But the report gives very short shrift to the fact that the drunk driver was illegal. He could easily have killed someone. He should be deported immediately.
I mean, what do you think would happen to a American, with a fake ID, living in Mexico and drunk driving? Or pick almost any other country.
I know that my friend JD will call me a racist for this post.
Eric Blair (55f2d9) — 3/28/2009 @ 8:00 amThe primary impetus for our imprisoned Governor (Ryan) getting scant sympathy from the voters here can be traced back to the notorious incident when an illegal immigrant truck driver (from Mexico) crashed his vehicle into a mini – van carrying 6 people, of which four children perished. The reason the illegal got a valid driver’s license in IL was because of straight – out bribery of the Sec. of State’s office, of which Ryan headed at the time before becoming Governor. So no, these types of incidents are not amusing in the least, because we have numerous examples of the consequences of lax enforcement of our nation’s borders.
Dmac (49b16c) — 3/28/2009 @ 8:10 amIt is racist to call someone an illegal alien.
JD (6ed8b2) — 3/28/2009 @ 8:11 amThe terminology issue is so maddening, JD. “Undocumented worker” is clunky, but oh so PC.
Why, I have taught at institutions where one couldn’t say or write “freshmen” or “freshman” without criticism for sexism. Instead, we were supposed to say or write “frosh” or “first year student.” Thank goodness no one ever told us to say or write “freshperson” or “freshpeople.”
George Orwell is chuckling sadly from beyond the grave, because of his essay on the politics and the use of language. Here is a teacher’s thoughts on the subject:
http://docereestdiscere.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/orwell-on-language/
Have an adequate diurnal cycle, fellow dissidents from socialist oligoarch classist structuralism.
Eric Blair (55f2d9) — 3/28/2009 @ 8:26 amContingency invader?
Ira (28a423) — 3/28/2009 @ 8:29 amI was rear-ended by a Mexican truck driver in a Peterbilt with 40 tons of tomatoes while stopped on the I5/405 interchange last year. He swerved at the last minute and my life, and that of my wife, was spared, when the truck destroyed the RV bouncing off the propane tank in the process.
The truck driver produced paperwork that showed he had insurance from a firm in San Ysidro, CA. I was immediately worried given that San Ysidro is on the border with Mexico. Turns out the scam is to purchase insurance, wait for the computer to kick out an insurance card, cancel the insurance, then present the card whenever a request is made for “Papeles, por favor”. Needless to say GMAC pursued the driver but the trail disappeared at the border. Undoubtedly, the driver bought new papers, a new business name and continued the charade with the same truck.
You will not be surprised at the lack of attention I received when I wrote letters to the Governor’s office who referred me to the Insurance Commissioner who issued the standard boiler-plate of having his best and brightest working on the problem.
The erstwhile mayor of L.A. was nearby at at GLBT pride parade nearby while I was attempting to not get run over in the number three lane of the freeway waiting for a tow-truck. If I was suspicious I would think that our government doesn’t really want to address the problems of illegal aliens, sanctuary cities, cartels, and gun/drug running to support the drug habits of indigenous Americans.
I don’t drive through California anymore when possible.
vet66 (9d1bb3) — 3/28/2009 @ 9:04 amActually, “illegal alien” is a proper legal term for illegal aliens. Therefore, it is not racist to use the term. What is wrong is for illegal aliens to continue to settle in this country while our Culture of Corruption does nothing about it. Last week the Speaker of the House told a bunch of illegal aliens that enforcing our laws was Un-American, while the President was saying that we need tougher laws and regulations. Why have tougher laws and regulations when enforcing them is un-American? When do we get to break the law like the government and the illegal aliens? Why do we have all of this discrimination? And since my grandson is the only child in his class who speaks English as his first language, I guess they were lying when they said we needed “diversity” because ignoring America’s immigration law didn’t get us any.
And what is it with liberals and the dictionary? They want to change the words we use for “illegal alien” and “War on Terror”. The next thing you know they will be trying to change words like “is” and “marriage”.
tyree (8b5458) — 3/28/2009 @ 9:04 amTurns out the scam is to purchase insurance, wait for the computer to kick out an insurance card, cancel the insurance, then present the card whenever a request is made for “Papeles, por favor”.
This adds another angle to the debate over allowing Mexican truck drivers into the United States, one I have not see our flawless MSM write about.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407) — 3/28/2009 @ 9:45 amCome on Patrick, you know the intention of such language is to stigmatize and utterly
narciso (996c34) — 3/28/2009 @ 9:57 amdisenfranchise people who had no other choice in the matter. You should realize that is the ultimate consequence of your speech, just like talk of terrorists and criminals is utterly unhelpful, It is dilegitimizing the claims of those who would otherwise not be able to challenge
an unjust system. You might think this is a reach, but how far is it really, After all you ‘occupy’ this land due to the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, due to the illegal and immoral
Mexican War, and hence the border line, is as arbitrary as the Durand line between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hey, we stole this land fair and square – plus, we paid for it too!
AD - RtR/OS (545a5d) — 3/28/2009 @ 10:15 amThe Spaniards stole it from the
IndiansNative Americans;The Mexicans stole it from the Spanish; and
We stole it from the Mexicans – who were the only ones to receive any form of compensation.
So, sarcasm aside, give me a freaking break!
Would it be racist to call our guest’s infraction a “wet reckless”?
SteveG (a87dae) — 3/28/2009 @ 10:24 amIf you gain something outside of the channels allowed by law, you have committed a crime.
If you are were not born here or a naturalized citizen, you are either an alien, legal or illegal.
Vivian Louise (c0f830) — 3/28/2009 @ 10:50 amI love it how the drunken driver was said to be from “Racine”, with no mention of which country was his actual, legal home – to which he should be immediately deported.
AD - RtR/OS (545a5d) — 3/28/2009 @ 10:52 amHey remember guys, we stole the half with all of the good roads!!
Have Blue (c7f745) — 3/28/2009 @ 10:53 amHey remember guys, we stole the half with all of the good roads!!
LMAO!! And all the Taco Bells!
Vivian Louise (c0f830) — 3/28/2009 @ 11:03 amI was rear-ended by a Mexican truck driver
I’m very leery of the portion of NAFTA that wants to allow (or requires) easy passage north of the border for trucks based in Mexico, which is why I do admit to sympathizing with — among others — the Teamsters and the current White House administration in favoring a nullification of that provision. As the saying goes, even a broken clock tells the correct time twice a day. Of course, the latter group, which undoubtedly will promote permissive, soft-hearted (and soft-headed) Congressional legislation regarding immigration reform will be a textbook example of giving with one hand and taking away with the other.
Mark (411533) — 3/28/2009 @ 11:03 amI don’t buy the ‘deport criminals first’ schtick.
One, about half of illegal aliens are criminals right off the bat, because half have entered the US illegally, not going through a port or authorized entry point. This is a crime.
Two, just about everyone agrees that James Q. Wilson’s ‘broken windows’ theory of crime is correct, and that the NYPD in the 1990s adopted an anti broken windows approach with great success. That is, minor infractions were dealt with harshly — jumping turnstyles, tagging, street ‘squee-gee ing’ etc was prosecuted. Law and order returned to New York. To simply ignore ‘non-criminal’ illegals is the same as ignoring turn-style jumpers, taggers etc. It gives the impression that the law can be ignored.
Having said all that, I would much prefer some big time hirers of illegals doing perp walks, and maybe even some heavy fines levied on those guys picking up day labor outside Home Depots.
horace (411ef0) — 3/28/2009 @ 12:16 pmThat’s not what Patterico has meant when he says “Deport the criminals first”. In fact, he has said many times that by all means, the illegal aliens should be deported. But FIRST, deport the violent criminals, because they are doing the most harm. Pat has never advocated ignoring “non-criminal” illegal aliens.
It’s all a matter of where you want to devote your resources so that they can do the most good.
Steverino (69d941) — 3/28/2009 @ 12:25 pmHow dim (or dishonest) do you have to be to say that “illegal alien” is a racist term?
It neither denotes or connotes race! It does not differentiate between an Algerian illegal alien, or one from Angola, Argentina or Australia! It denotes legal status.
There is however a special circle in Hell for those who falsely accuse people of racism!
proof (539183) — 3/28/2009 @ 12:41 pmRacist
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:02 pmI’m pretty sure that it’s round 1 of circle 9, where people are buried up to their necks in ice and have to survive by gnawing on the nape of Ruggieri’s neck.
carlitos (cfbec1) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:12 pmNow, it would be racist to note that Mohammed is in Circle 8…
carlitos (cfbec1) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:14 pmNah, just Islamophobic.
Karl (3bf5f8) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:26 pmI am terroristophobic and socialistophobic, and anticonstitutionalphobic, does that count?
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:29 pmJingoistic, homophobic and misogynistic as well. Let’s get all the cards on the table.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:29 pmDidn’t one of you bastards call me a foodist yesterday? You lads are getting as bad as those Heathers (h/t Vivian)on JournoList who think all Rethuglicans are a bunch of mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, inbred, red neck, god bothering, racist, sexist, homophobic, warmongering pieces of shit.
I blame Bush
And Kyoto
But not Halliburton
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:36 pmIf I was suspicious I would think that our government doesn’t really want to address the problems of illegal aliens, sanctuary cities, cartels, and gun/drug running to support the drug habits of indigenous Americans
I don’t think supporting anyone’s drug habits enter into this – instead, it’s all about future political power and who will wield the levers. So both parties mau – mau the issue to both sides, desperately hoping that the final solution will be apathy, thereby leading to an enormous amnesty program being enacted. When large business interests are in full support of such a measure, you realize the kind of opposition you’re up against.
The Spaniards stole it from the Indians Native Americans;
I continue to be amazed at our citizen’s ignorance on this matter – they know next to nothing of the Indian’s treatment of their fellow “tribes.” Far from being some kind of utopia, they often massacred their enemies, women and children included (the Salem Witch trials were the genesis of much tomahawking and scalping of local colonists). They also burned huge tracts of forest, in order to encourage more grasslands for the buffalo, which they then proceeded to drive off any available cliffs by the hundreds (but they were the true stewards of the environment!). If the indigenuous peoples here had advanced beyond their state when the settlers began their march westward, it could have been halted quite easily.
Dmac (49b16c) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:37 pm“When large business interests are in full support of such a measure, you realize the kind of opposition you’re up against.”
Dmac – I thought the WSJ was on the wrong side of this editorially, but were individual large businesses taking positions for amnesty? Can you name some?
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:40 pmBrother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. — 3/28/2009 @ 9:45 am (#8):
I agree and I know most people here agree that the MSM isn’t covering this topic. A good start would be forthe federal government and every state to implement an insurance verification program like Texas Sure. In the meantime, however, it seems Mexican trucks are no longer allowed outside the border zone.
Anon (eb4fed) — 3/28/2009 @ 1:59 pmdaleyrocks,
This article indicates some poultry processors, hotels, and homebuilders support amnesty or other laws that legalize illegal immigrant workers.
Anon (eb4fed) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:05 pmAnon – Thanks. I’m not sure I read it the same was as you do. It seems to me to be sating the enforcement obligation should be on the government not the businesses – that business aren’t experts in detecting fake documents and don’t have the tools to comply with government edicts. If the government were doing it’s job controlling the borders, they wouldn’t have to. They also seem to support guest workers but oppose amnesty.
“Goodlatte agrees with Bauhan that the federal online documenting system needs to be changed to detect more immigrants who use stolen papers and place less blame on employers who fail to catch them.
The broader solution, he said, is not to legalize immigrants already working in the United States, as some have proposed, but to expand the national “guest worker” program, which allows up to 66,000 unskilled foreigners to work temporarily on farms and other seasonal job sites, so that it would include food processing and other agribusiness jobs.
“I am very much opposed to bills that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants, and I also want to make sure we don’t undercut jobs and wages for those U.S. citizens who do want the work,” Goodlatte said. “We need the existing temporary worker program to keep up with the changing face of agribusiness. We need to enforce immigration laws and make them work better where there is a shortage of American workers.” “
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:17 pmI think it is prolly racist and xenophobic to ev en say the word alien.
JD (b2da6e) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:17 pmJD – Aliens are what live in uranus.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:18 pm“George Orwell is chuckling sadly from beyond the grave, because of his essay on the politics and the use of language.”….Comment by Eric Blair at # 4:
Orwell certainly is, and along with the little known philosopher, Antoine de Saint Exupery, author of “The Little Prince”. St.Ex., as he is referred to among his devotees, considered language – any language – to be inadequate to precisely convey mans thoughts and meaning into words. St. Ex. was a believer in contradiction and paradox, possibly because he was also a pilot as well as a journalist. Many situations in flying are counter-intuitive and contradictory to the first impression of the uninitiated . Furthermore, the mechanics of flight are often paradoxical to common intuition. In other words, learning to fly causes one to have a different perspective regarding human and the physical worlds behaviors. Many are paradoxical.
Therefore, “illegal alien” may be an exact legal description of any person who is in any country without that country’s legal assent. The use of the term illegal alien, now also brands the user as being of one political stripe, as the use of “undocumented worker” also indicative of an opposing political point of view. St. Ex. noticed just such mutilation of language and meaning when he covered the Spanish Revolution of 1936-39. His book, “The Little Prince” is, in reality, a book meant for adults, but he reasoned that no adult would read a book about the faults of adults, so he dressed his essay on mans imperfections as a children’s book so adults would read it to their kids.
However, my late father, summed up such contrary human behavior simply as it is impossible to be a human being and not be a hypocrite. We are a contradiction by nature.
C. Norris (78af44) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:28 pm_______________________________________
I am terroristophobic and socialistophobic, and anticonstitutionalphobic, does that count?
“Phobic” or “phobia” indicates an irrational fear of something. So based on the situation described below, I’d say that when it comes to the topic of the illegal alien, the only people who are displaying irrational fear are the ones fretting about — and opposed to — anti-illegal-immigration sentiment and policymaking in America.
Moreover, our neighbor to the south, Mexico, is a never-ending mess, year after year, decade after decade. A society that’s always stuck with too much dysfunction, including too much crime, too much persistent poverty, and too many layers of mediocrity in general.
So to not fear more of that becoming more a part of this nation? Now that would be irrational.
_______________________________________
Mark (411533) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:35 pmDmac – I thought the WSJ was on the wrong side of this editorially, but were individual large businesses taking positions for amnesty? Can you name some?
The WSJ never shut up about it, and on more than one occasion intimated that those against their viewpoint were both xenephobic and racist. Here’s a list of the various groups that supported that bill:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10318788
In addition to the tech giants such as Hewlett and Intel, there was a large coalition of church groups, Agricultural interests and of course our good friends in Big Labor.
Dmac (49b16c) — 3/28/2009 @ 2:42 pmdaleyrocks,
I agree with you in theory. I believe most employers want to hire legal employees and support expanded guest worker programs instead of amnesty, but we all know that’s not going to happen soon. Industries like chicken processors need workers now and many can’t get enough manual laborers who will work at the wages they pay. For some, illegal immigrant labor is a fact of life — at least it was unless the recent uptick in unemployment changes things — and legalization is the only way to assure a cheap workforce.
Anon (eb4fed) — 3/28/2009 @ 3:15 pmDmac – Thanks for the link. Like Anon’s prior link I found it to be a mixed bag with respect to big business.
“Big Business
Divided support. The country’s major employers helped shape the compromise legislation, but they’re not happy with the result. They worry that it won’t solve the coming shortage of workers, especially low-skilled ones.”
It quotes Motorola, HP and Intel as supportive theoretically because the bill increased the number of annual H-1B visas, but not enough in my mind.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 4:36 pm[…] A Very Special Episode of “Deport the Criminals First”. Patterico. […]
Tolerance And The Road To Hades « Quipster (8c1bc6) — 3/28/2009 @ 5:06 pm“many can’t get enough manual laborers who will work at the wages they pay”
Anon – You know there’s an easy solution to that, right? I’m extremely sceptical of the above type of claims. The meatpacking plants raided by ICE afew years back in the Midwest were able to find replacement workers almost immediately.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 5:19 pmI hear the same argument from the homebuilders here – “since my competition hires illegals and doesn’t have to pay them any FICA or health insurance, I have no choice but to do the same.” BS.
Dmac (49b16c) — 3/28/2009 @ 6:04 pmdaleyrocks,
There’s a disconnect between what I see and what I think on this issue. I think there are legal workers for these jobs if the supply of illegal workers dries up, but it will take time for that to happen on a large scale. In some industries, wages may have to go up, or it may take time for the workforce to adjust to a new skill-set, or we may need more teenagers working part-time.
On the other hand, this isn’t what I see. I replaced my roof last year and when I called the roofer I used 10 years ago, he told me he left the residential market because he was unable to compete with companies that use Mexican roofers … and this is true despite the fact that my area has aggressive workplace raids. The owner of a large landscaping firm in my area is in federal prison for using illegal immigrant labor, but apparently that hasn’t deterred everyone and it surely hasn’t stopped employees’ use of false identities or papers. It’s virtually impossible for competing employers to overcome that.
Anon (eb4fed) — 3/28/2009 @ 6:28 pmHere’s a good development if you think employer enforcement is the answer:
Anon (eb4fed) — 3/28/2009 @ 6:36 pmAnon – I understand what you are saying and see it with building trades in my area as well, but Dmac’s point was about large businesses. Those would be the HP’s and Intel type company’s in my mind and their interests were noted in the link Dmac included. The meat processing industry, whether it is beef or pork seems to have been able to replace workers. I don’t know about chicken. I think the whole jobs Americans won’t do meme is a liberal urban myth. There’s a price for everything. I worked some pretty damn menial and backbreaking jobs when I was young.
In homebuilding and repairs, where you have had people exit the business wholesale due to undercutting from illegal immigration, it takes time to lure them back in and convince them changes are not temporary, IMHO.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/28/2009 @ 7:35 pmI’m sorry but the illegal had already been deported and came back. He should not be deported again. A just sentence would be about 50 years hard labor building the fence. Let him out when he’s too old to be of any use and deport him when he’s too crippled to come back.
I’m ready to support deporting the criminals first right after we start deporting everyone so we have a choice on priority. No illegal should not be deported and no one who has been deported once should get out of jail until they’re too old to sneak back in again.
Ken Hahn (3b9ae3) — 3/29/2009 @ 12:36 amIt would just be easier to declare the border a “free fire zone” (before the cartels make it so)
AD - RtR/OS (a503f5) — 3/29/2009 @ 4:04 amand nip the problem in the bud, so to speak.
No bail, jail. The States do not need to go head to head with the Federal government. An illegal alien, caught driving drunk, goes to jail for a year.
nk (c90ef8) — 3/29/2009 @ 4:37 am#32
What word is that? Is it similar to “nucular”?
Horatio (55069c) — 3/29/2009 @ 7:49 amProlly is… so? Do you say “Kew-pon” or “Koo-pon” for coupon? Does your choice really say that much about you?
Internet slang on a blog comment… teh HORROR!
Stashiu3 (460dc1) — 3/29/2009 @ 2:41 pmStashiu3 – I would say prolly = probably, but it’s that damned JD just being as offensive to as many people as possible once again. That fool never learns a thing.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/29/2009 @ 2:49 pmI’ve used prolly for probably before. Since it was JD, it’s now a racist codeword or something. Nobody tells me these things.
Stashiu3 (460dc1) — 3/29/2009 @ 2:54 pmStashiu3 – JD should have sent you the memo. It was prolly racist and homophobic of him not to, or something.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 3/29/2009 @ 3:00 pmIM(ns)HO, yall are prolly illiterate, usin’ slang an’ lazy speech an’ stuff. An’ yall usin’ net acronyms should STFU an’ stuff, ya know? I mean, nun o’ ya no teh diff tween there, they’re, their, an’ stuff an’ that’s a meanin’ ya dunno nuttin. So I ain’t gonna pay attention ta nuttin’ ya be sayin’. Cuzz yer all dum.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 3/29/2009 @ 3:10 pm