Michelle Malkin » Sanctuary kills: A bloody, needless tragedy in Aurora

Sanctuary kills: A bloody, needless tragedy in Aurora

By Michelle Malkin • September 7, 2008 04:55 PM

How many times do I have to ask: How many more tragedies like this need to occur before Americans finally hold illegal alien sanctuary enablers responsible for their reckless, deadly neglect?

Lord have mercy. One of the victims was a 3-year-old child enjoying ice cream at Baskin-Robbins:

As new questions arose about the man police say is responsible for the tragedy, several hundred friends and relatives gathered Saturday night outside an ice cream shop to mourn three lives suddenly lost.

“It hurts now,” said Vito Kudlis, surrounded by friends as he and his wife, Enely, wept for their 3-year-old son, Marten. “It is freaky. It is crazy.”

Marten, Patricia Guntharp, 49, of Centennial and Debra Serecky, 51, of Aurora all died when a Thursday night collision caused vehicles to careen into the Baskin-Robbins at the corner of South Havana Street and East Mississippi Avenue.

Saturday night, they were remembered in a candlelight vigil. Small children held glow sticks as others added stuffed animals — especially bears — to a memorial.

Francis Hernandez, the man being held for suspicion of vehicular homicide in the deaths, is now being detained by federal immigration officials.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials sent a faxed detainer on Hernandez, 23, at 12:04 a.m. Saturday, indicating his U.S. citizenship is under question, according to Arapahoe County jail officials and federal authorities.

Hernandez has been arrested 16 times in five years in Colorado but apparently has never been deported, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.

Watch the revolving door go ’round and ’round:

Hernandez had been arrested in Denver as recently as July 18 on a traffic stop and charged with numerous crimes, including resisting police, CBI records say. Had he been held on an ICE detainer at that time, he would have been jailed until his case was completed and his sentence served and then deported, a time-consuming process.

Hernandez is now being held on the ICE detainer and for investigation of three counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and hit and run in Thursday night’s accident, Aurora police spokesman Lt. John Sopranuk said…

…Dating back to 2003, Hernandez has been arrested for mostly misdemeanor offenses 16 times by police officers in Denver, Longmont, Aurora, Westminster, Lakewood and Broomfield and sheriff’s deputies in Boulder, Gilpin and Arapahoe counties, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. His charges have included forgery, assault, theft, fraud and driving under restraint.

Sopranuk said Friday that Hernandez was born in California and is a U.S. citizen.

But he added that detectives could find no indication that he had ever held a driver’s license in California or Colorado.

Also according to CBI records, Hernandez, who has 11 aliases and two listed birth dates, has four listed birth places, including Mexico.

ICE placed a detainer because of indications he was born outside the country, said

Posted in: Sanctuary Cities

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#101

On September 8th, 2008 at 6:20 am, St. Louis Blue said:

On September 7th, 2008 at 11:25 pm, HeavyHair said:

On September 7th, 2008 at 8:27 pm, nyc123me said:

It makes no difference to the left, one or two comments is all it takes to label the entire blog as either racist or hate filled. Most of the people here are fair minded and open to debate, but a few comments like those 3 and nothing else matters.

Holy Moses, smell the roses Heavy. The left labels anything and everything conservative as racist (pronounced ray-thitht) without reason. ~~If they can’t find a reason, they’ll invent one.~~ The left throws “racist” around for the sport of it.
#102

On September 8th, 2008 at 10:13 am, Weary Citizen said:

HeavyHair, unless you worship at the alter of PC and diversity, appeasing at every turn, the left will label you a racist. That is a fact. Name calling and labelling has been the sledgehammer of the leftists for decades. That trump card has been played way too many times, and the only way to break the nonsense, and allow for meanignful discussion, is to not let their name calling get to you. Otherwise, you will never speak your mind, or the truth, for fear of being called names.

Now, I agree calling for summary executions is over the top, but I know where Rob is coming from. I do beleive they must be given a fair trial. But not on my dime. The bill for his defense and any incarceration charges, if found guilty, should be sent to the illegals home country for reimbursemetn. If they refuse, all further immigration and aid to said country, will be halted.

Until we embark on a policy of enforcement, the ELIMINATION OF THE MAGNETS that draw them here (no jobs, no welfare, no anchor babies, and no hope of citizenship), and allow ATTRITION of the illegals here (no reward of citizenship), this problem can not be resolved. It takes all of these actions to stamp out this scourge of illegal immigration for the long term and cost effectively..
#103

On September 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pm, shooter said:

“It hurts now,” said Vito Kudlis, surrounded by friends as he and his wife, Enely, wept for their 3-year-old son, Marten. “It is freaky. It is crazy.”

IT IS AVOIDABLE!
And all of the hurt is 100% AVOIDABLE
#104

On September 8th, 2008 at 1:29 pm, Rob said:

Rose said: In short Rob, you creep me out.

Rose I would expect a liberal to be creeped out by any form of responsibility or consequences.

This country is turning into Mexico and no Irish need apply…
#105

On September 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm, MacUser said:

Ummmm…. The guy was arrested 16 times? I am 41 and have not been arrested once! How can anyone be arrested 16 times and not been sent to jail for a VERY long time? Especially with his rap sheet?
#106

On September 8th, 2008 at 2:22 pm, happyscrapper said:

ANYONE who has been arrested 16 times and is still out on the streets needs to be put in a cage and throw away the key. Illegal or legal. Anyone!
#107

On September 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pm, denver republican said:

You will be much comforted to know that the perp is distraught.

The hit-and-run driver who killed a toddler and two women in Aurora last week is a young father who is “just devastated” about the loss of life, his attorney said today.

See here.

And it’s one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven-twelve-thirteen-fourteen-fifteen-sixteen strikes, you’re out.
#108

On September 8th, 2008 at 6:26 pm, fred5676 said:

Just emailed this to my CongressCritter:

Dear Congressman,

Please remind President Bush to enforce to 1996 federal law against sanctuary cities. He needs a reminder!!

For a summary of recent murders of American citizens by illegal aliens who had been arrested previously multiple times, and then released because of sanctuary policies:

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/07/sanctuary-kills-a-bloody-needless-tragedy-in-aurora/

There is no gentle way to say this: the deaths of these American citizens is on the hands of President Bush and his Attorney General who refuse to enforce federal law, and the various city and state officials who openly defy federal law.

I cannot fathom how this is allowed to continue. Note that when 3 college-bound students were murdered in 2007 in Newark, NJ, by an illegal alien previously released twice from custody, the NJ Attorney General reversed her state’s policy almost immediately.

How many additional deaths will take to convince President Bush to care about his own citizens?
#111

On September 9th, 2008 at 4:09 pm, Solo said:

He should have been deported the very first time that he committed a criminal offense, in fact.

You’re right, PC Rose. All illegal aliens should be deported immediately.
#114

On September 12th, 2008 at 11:18 am, cheapseat said:

a fingerprint id system would clear this problem up today. you can get fake id’s for 100 bucks off the internet, but you can’t get a new fingerprint easily. then employers don’t have a problem knowing illegal from legal, and police don’t either.
#115

On November 1st, 2008 at 3:54 am, stonemeister said:

Oh, you’re just a hater, Michelle. I know this is true, because ~~Gerry~~ Geraldo Rivera said so on O’Reilly (who then did not correct him, or defend you).

/sarc

This situation would normally be at least embarrassing for any other candidate, and would kill a presidential candidate. But not the Messiah!