Illegals Continue Reign of Terror

Illegals Continue Reign of Terror

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 10, 2017

As far as legal residents and citizens are concerned, sanctuary cities are absolutely no safe haven. Protection for illegal aliens - and that is what those people who enter the United States without permission are - continues to take precedence over the safety and security of those taxpayers for whom law enforcement is expected to protect and defend.

Shocking proof of the egregious and callous manner in which legal residents and citizens are being treated by those whom were elected to serve those taxpayers is on full display in, but not limited to, Chicago, San Francisco, Multnomah County, OR, and Burien, WA.

In the Windy City, appropriately nicknamed for the blustery bloviations spewing out of the gaping hole in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s mouth, while black on black gun homicides continue to escalate to epic proportions rendering an entire city unsafe, Emanuel promises safety for the illegals amongst them.

Calling for the local police force to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to federal laws, thus ensuring a safe haven for illegals in Chicago, Emanuel is risking the forfeiture of federal grant funding. President Donald Trump has made it part of his administration’s goals, in attempting to curb illegal immigration, to remind localities that federal law supersedes that of state and local law. Failure to abide by such should cost those towns and cities their federal dollars.

If this is the battle Emanuel wants to ride up the mountain to fight, the voters should, and must, hold him responsible, which will never happen in such a Democratic stronghold. He knows his job is reasonably secure, and is putting principle above protecting those who deserve if first and foremost - the legal residents and citizens of Second City. But Emanuel stubbornly avers that his city won’t be blackmailed.

“We will never relinquish our status as a welcoming city,” Emanuel said, clearly meaning sanctuary city.

In fact, Emanuel won’t even require Chicago law enforcement to notify ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) 48 hours prior to releasing an illegal alien from custody, telling them it is not their job to do the bidding of that federal agency.

Perhaps Emanuel might change his tune if instead of the federal grant money Chicago would normally receive, federal uniformed and armed agents march through Chicago doing their job, sans Chicago cooperation - rounding up illegal aliens and those suspected as illegal aliens. In the meantime, Chicago law enforcement can continue to do an oh, so excellent job of curtailing the epidemic homicide rates.

While Emanuel continues his Don Quixote impersonation, the City of San Francisco is in the process of stealing taxpayer dollars to give to an undeserving miscreant for violating its own policy toward illegal aliens. Hoisted by its own petard, San Francisco fell prey to a lawsuit from Pedro Figueroa-Zarceno, 33, an illegal alien from El Salvador, who was turned over to ICE agents by San Francisco police in violation of city policy. In an unconscionable decision, a settlement agreement reached by the City Attorney’s Office, forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for approval with a blessing and dollar amount from the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, agreed to dole out $190,000 to Figueroa-Zarceno.

Taxpayers ought to be outraged. This after all, is the same city where Kate Steinle was murdered in 2015 by a repeat offender illegal alien at Pier 14, and the city continues its heinous policy of protecting illegal aliens at the risk of the safety of legal residents and citizens. “This is a shameful waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Jason Clark, Chairman of the San Francisco GOP.

Further up the coast in Multnomah County, OR, Sergio Jose Martinez, 31, an illegal alien from Mexico, has been harbored in Portland. The habitual recidivist, who belongs in a Mexican prison, has been deported and has returned 20 times, most recently last November, only to return again to continue his reign of terror. In addition to his crimes of illegally entering the United States 20 times, his lengthy criminal record includes, but is not limited to, sexual assault at knifepoint, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and sodomy. Martinez also admitted to drug use - specifically heroin and meth.

Local authorities released Martinez from their custody sans ICE notification offering up the following weak explanation. “Oregon law prohibits public agencies from spending money, using equipment, or enlisting personnel to enforce federal immigration law,” thus making Oregon a de facto sanctuary state.

Contradicting that statement, Lt. Chad Gaidos of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office wrote, “MCSO is committed to ensuring we comply with all federal and state laws that govern local public safety agencies with regard to enforcement of immigration policies.” Seems the county can’t get their act together, much to the detriment of the citizens of Multnomah County and probably beyond.

Martinez appeared in court again, on July 26, where he pleaded not guilty to assaulting two more women. These women would not have been prey for Martinez had local law enforcement cooperated with federal agents. But Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said, we are “not responsible for enforcing federal immigration. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office does not hold persons in jail based upon their immigration status.”

This brand of impudence should cost Portland and Multnomah County federal grant money for their lack of cooperation with the federal agencies attempting to keep illegal aliens from their continued invasion of the United States.

Perhaps there might be a ray of sunshine in Burien, WA, a suburban community in King County south of Seattle. However, this ray of sunshine has come too late for the victim of Salvador Diaz-Garcia, a 23-year-old illegal alien, in the United States since 2013 as a “dreamer,” under DACA (Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals). An 18-year-old should not be considered a “child” under DACA. On the other hand, DACA should not even exist in the first place. This so-called “dreamer” has caused nothing but nightmares for his victims, their families, and their communities.

Surveillance tape and witnesses caught Diaz-Garcia spying on his future victim, on June 25, through a window in the workout facility of her residential community. Shortly thereafter he followed the 19-year-old home, attacking her, leaving her with a bloody head, missing teeth, a torn and dangling ear, numerous cuts to the head, a cut upper lip, broken orbital bone, broken jaw, broken nose, and rendering her unable to speak. A rape kit discovered male DNA.

Although a sanctuary city law passed muster via the city council in January, a growing citizens group has garnered enough signatures for a ballot referendum in November against the sanctuary city status. Such a referendum would be the first of its kind in the United States. Sadly it took a brutal, life-altering rape and attack to open the eyes of people who thought it acceptable to continue harboring illegal aliens. And to those who would defend illegals as a group by suggesting not all illegals are criminals, think again. The very act of entering the United States without proper authority is in itself a crime. Impeding all illegal aliens from entering this country, or at the very least, remanding those who do cross the border to their country of origin would prevent their crimes from having been committed from the outset.

Yet, in spite of the heinousness of the attack this victim endured, at least three members of the seven member Burien City Council desire the ordinance to remain in effect. One such councilor, Austin Bell, demonstrated how obtuse he is by suggesting illegal aliens are akin to citizens. It is “important for every citizen to be able to come forward and feel safe here; that is in all of our interests and is the morally right thing to do,” said Bell.

By saying “every citizen,” while defending rights illegal aliens do not, nor should not, have, Bell is equating illegal aliens with legal residents and citizens. And while not all illegal aliens are Hispanic, and not all Hispanics are illegal aliens, the Hispanic population of Burien is 24 percent and growing rapidly. Burien’s population surpassed 50,000 following an annexation occurring after the 2010 census. (http://www.burienwa.gov)

An increasing number of Burien citizens say the sanctuary city policy sends the wrong message making people actually feel less safe, including Debi Wagner, a member of the Burien City Council. “We want everyone here to be happy and safe. How can we guarantee that if we don’t know anything about people living in our midst,” said Wagner.

And in fact, there is more to know about Diaz-Garcia. In January of this year, his dreamer status was renewed. It has since been revoked as he is being held with bail set at $350,000. Additionally, Diaz-Garcia faces child molestation charges for the assault on a 14-year-old girl the same day of his supposed brutal attack on the 19-year-old.

Let these real life stories be the cautionary tales that are necessary to wake people up to the dangers of the illegal alien epidemic that goes largely ignored until it is too late. Enforcing the laws currently in existence, and stronger border security - both north and south, should be a minimum starting point. Denying any benefits to illegal aliens such as medical care, hospitalization, drivers licences, food stamps, jobs - including punishing the employers who hire them, placement in schools - from elementary through college, and welfare should make life more difficult for those who have no legal right to be in the United States and should lead to some measure of self-deportation.

America is for Americans and those seeking to make America a better place. It is a beacon of freedom, strength, refuge, and salvation for those willing to play by the rules, become part of the fabric of what America has meant and stood for lo these past two and a half centuries and hopefully for millennia to come.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.