Drunk driver’s immigration status not “irrelevant” to grieving mother
You won’t see Geraldo Rivera reporting on this terrible tragedy. Via the Houston Chronicle:
Felinda Williams couldn’t make herself go to court on a recent morning, couldn’t bring herself to look at the man accused of driving drunk and killing her daughter, her son-in-law and her 2-year-old grandson.
She knows few details of the Aug. 11 crash in Houston that killed the newlyweds and the little boy nicknamed “Peanut Butter.” She does know that her daughter didn’t die on impact. The young woman, according to reports, felt the flames and begged helpless bystanders to pull her free.
The grieving woman knows two things about Juan Felix Salinas, the man charged in connection with their deaths: She knows his name, and she knows he was in the U.S. illegally, out on bail after an earlier arrest.
“He’s been through the courts and the jail before, and nobody caught it,” Williams said. “If they’d caught it, he would have been in jail or deported, and then he wouldn’t have been out there on the streets, and my babies would still be alive.”
Salinas slipped through as so many before him slipped through:
In the past year, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Houston Police Department officials said they have increased their cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. But despite recent efforts, not all illegal immigrants who come into contact with law enforcement in Houston are referred to immigration authorities, which has frustrated some victims’ advocates and proponents of stricter immigration controls.
Salinas, 41, was arrested in Jacinto City after allegedly shaking his wife violently on March 31. He escaped the attention of immigration officials by posting a “non-arrest” bond at the Harris County Jail, which some victim advocates have called a loophole for illegal immigrants.
Repeat after me: Sovereign Nation or Sanctuary Nation–It’s your choice.
Officials with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office ask each inmate during the intake process about nationality and citizenship, said Sgt. D.M. Mackey.
More than 4,606 inmates admitted to being illegal immigrants and had their cases referred to ICE from August 2006 through August 2007, Mackey said. In the previous 18 months, the sheriff’s office had identified 1,940 illegal immigrants in the jail.
Andy Kahan, director of the Mayor’s Crime Victim’s Office, questioned why local authorities don’t refer all cases involving suspected illegal immigrants to ICE.
“We can’t expect ICE and federal officials to act if we don’t give them all of the information to act on,” he said. “If we don’t give them the tools to make a decision, we reap what we sow.”
***
I was going to write a rejoinder to the WSJ’s open-borders editorial, but Bryan Preston already beat me to it. Read.
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There is nothing to say that hasn’t already been said regarding this issue.
I pray for this woman’s tragedy. I just do not know what I would be capable of doing IF this were to happen to MY family or loved ones.
I live in Houston. I have two children. This breaks my heart..
Peanut Butter…I call my youngest “peanut”. I just want to weep for this woman’s loss, but I’m at work and I ‘m afraid that I won’t be able to stop.
Houston is a SANCTUARY CITY! You would have thought after an Illegal killed one of there own the police would start doing their jobs.
When is this going to end? I’m really concerned that is this continues and courts and cities do nothing people will take matters into their own hands. Then innocent legal citizens get killed.
Michelle, I do not recall you giving Geraldine-o a slap down Monday night. Is Fox “asking” you to cool it?
Why, WHY, do these people get a pass from the legal system? I, being a self proclaimed white boy, would not ever be given a break like these “______” get. You fill in the blank I do not wish to get the boot.
Don’t I know it! There are some areas of town that resemble Tiajuana! I’ve boycotted Walmart and other grocery stores because of bi-lingual advertisments etc. (Now I shop at a small family owned grocery where everything is in English.)
Another case of illegals having extraordinary privileges. And when I see and hear these criminal illegals, I never sense remorse, they don’t even seem concerned they were caught. We are nothing to them.
The pro-immigration movement is constantly going on about how they are gaining steam…
What I see is a slow-moving, but yet progressing backlash against illegal immigration and the forces that promote and protect these criminals.
One of these days, it’s going to reach a boiling point….and I believe it’s coming sooner rather than later.
This is another case that those of us on one side will build our cause on – and those on the other side will continue to deflect and deny.
My prayers are with the family.
People who enter the country illegally make a conscious decision to break the law. Call it what you will, they have a contempt for any restriction on what they want.
Why should we expect them to honor any other law while they are here? Drunk driving, identity theft and violent crimes are certainly a forseeable consequence of people who believe the end justifies the means, the law be damned.
As for the mantra that they are just looking for a better life – yes, they can make their lives better, to the detriment of law abiding citizens of the US. We all pay, one way or another. Some of us are fortunate that our only cost thus far is financial in nature.
I think I know you don’t mean it’s our choice, if it were, things would be entirely different. My thoughts and certainly my Prayers are with this family.
What I don’t is I they pay 1200 or more to get false documentation or a coyote but, if they were so interested in becoming an legal citizen why not invest that into an immigration lawyer or at least start the process.
It only proves that they have no intention of becoming legal and they are freeloaders waiting for the gov to give them amnesty! Tehy are no better than the pick pocket on the street.
“As for the mantra that they are just looking for a better life – yes, they can make their lives better, to the detriment of law abiding citizens of the US.”
As I read this – a certain speech came to mind….
“Ask not what your Country can do for you….ask what you can do for your Country.”
I call my five and a half month old son “Peanut Butter”, too. This just makes me physically, emotionally ill.
Does this mother have the absolute moral authority liberals bestow on their own whenever tragedy befalls them?
So sad. And so obviously could have been prevented.
Michelle, please keep posting these. Is there any way of obtaining how frequently US American citizens are killed by illegal aliens? This is happening in every state each week.
Keep demanding that deportation is the answer—enforcing the laws, exposing employers who bring them here. If there are no jobs they will deport themselves.
Prayers are for this family.
Here is one statistic (hard to find stats as illegals hide behind laws and the question is not asked even by law enforcement when arrested!):
While no one – in or out of government – tracks traffic accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year’s 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55440
Hispanics lead DUI stats in NC (and, no doubt, the rest of the country):
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/NEWS/606220415/1004
When illegals don’t kill US citizens and are injured in accidents you pay for the hospitalization and rehab:
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4868358&nav=HMO6
How many hit and run accidents are there and what is the participation of illegal aliens? As reported by Deadly Roads, as of December 29, there were 1,544 killed and 105,078 injured in hit and run accidents in 2006. Extrapolating for the year, 2006 will end up with about 1,560 killed and 105,948 injured by hit and run drivers. If the illegal alien population was responsible for just 5% of the carnage, that would result in 78 killed and 5,297 injured. However, as previously noted, the data suggests that the proportional involvement of illegal aliens in traffic accidents is actually far higher and there is no reason to believe it would be any different for hit and run accidents. In fact, if anything, the participation of illegal aliens is probably even higher but, again, NOBODY IS TRACKING IT so nobody really knows.
http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_traffic_accidents.html
Congress needs to pass legislation to track these accidents (as well as how many illegals are over-running our emergency departments and schools). It is time they came out of hiding and were deported. Our laws make it easy to hide.
Deport them now!
This is a serious subject – but I got this in an e-mail and had to share the link – it’s a good laugh….
http://www.kerman94.com/mexicotourism.html
DEPORT THEM NOW.
I understand that this is the whole premise of the debate, but WHY DON’T THE AUTHORITIES SHIP THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY WHEN THEY FIND OUT THEY’RE HERE ILLEGALLY? They should just have planes leaving every night at 7pm for “all points south.” I am so tired of illegal immigrants being called “law-abiding,” too. Isn’t the very fact that they’re here indicate that they are not, in fact, law-abiding? If they were law-abiding, they’d still be on the other side of the imaginary fence Sec. Chertoff is building.
we reap what we sow
something too many politicians forget. If politicians want the illegals here, they they want what bad comes with whatever good they may bring. They hope you don’t remember that they are as equally responsible for the crimes committed by people who they allow to be here.
Keep e-mailing, and faxing, the dolts in Washington, crash their damn switchboards again. Some day even those idiots will get it.
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table…everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn’t even sit on my own back porch anymore.
I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be…quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see…our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services. Small apartments are housing 5 families. You have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor. Your child’s 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn’t speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box. I have to press “one” to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than “Old Glory” are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it’s time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
Paul R. Gellentien
#20 Very Good Analogy! Thxs
Malkin_fan receives the 1st standing ovation of the day…..
Outstanding post, my friend….
If Geraldo doesn’t mention this, then he is a racist.
Kevin From Ohio,
Your suggestion Makes Sense.
Local law enforcement must report these illegals to ICE. I’ve heard occasional local law enforcement folks say that they don’t report the illegals because ICE won’t do anything. Well, then, that’s the fault of ICE. Local law enforcement must report the illegals; then if ICE doesn’t take proper action, we know where the problem is and who to pressure to get it fixed. Otherwise, this just keeps on being back-and-forth finger pointing and blaming, with nothing getting done.
Forget about Geraldo, let me get this straight:
A black citizen is shot by police in the line of duty – Rev. Al is all over the news calling for the heads of the officers.
A black women’s basketball team is called a derogatory term by a shock-jock – Rev. Al is all over the news calling for his termination.
A black family, mother, father and child, are killed by an illegal alien, and we have silence from the good Reverend????
Where is his outrage? Where are his protests?
Again – the silence is deafening….
Here is the 1996 immigration laws that allows local police to ask status. And other law this administration refuses to abide by.
Sorry the link doesn’t seem to work when you paste it.
http://www.visalaw.com/96nov/3nov96.html
jrlingreenbay–RevAl only shows up when there’s money for him. There’s no payoff for him in getting justice for a young black family (…family! They were married! The baby had two parents! WOW!) killed by a non-white illegal alien.
That’s because the Rev Al and Geraldo Al are brothers.
It’s horrible to lose family members, this was a horrific crash the poor woman was burned alive but to know that horribleness was preventable but for corruption and betrayal of our immigration system just compounds the misery many times over.
I listened to part of Hannity’s radio this afternoon on the way home and he had Geraldo on and they were talking about the NJ case.
Geraldo is as blind as a bat when it comes to this subject.
He dodged, not even artfully, the question of “Would the 3 kids be alive if this guy would have been handled by ICE and held / deported earlier?”
THAT is such a softball question – but he dodged and ducked and chuckled about the question, as if it was a trick question!
He also rambled on about the 57 OTHER murders in Newark and claimed there was no difference.
Yes, Geraldo – there is a difference. We know, probably by a factor of 99%, that that crime was preventable!
Just as this one was.
If they come through Collier Co FL they are getting shipped out! They can’t afford the $9m/yr to feed and house them at the jails anymore!
“Send them home” needs to be the mantra. Either illegals or your Congressperson.
This is just like telling the legal residents of this country to take a hike.
It’s time for the ‘silent majority’ to stand up and make these politicians take notice.