Group plans to lobby for immigration reform

By Candice Brooks

Hamilton Journal News

Staff Writer

 

HAMILTON — Butler County Commissioner Michael Fox, a vocal part of the local debate on immigration reform, has formed a coalition that will call on the local congressional delegation to step up and fix the illegal immigration problem.

 

Fix It Now — comprised of unions, building contractors, businesses, nonprofit organizations, representatives of the Hispanic community, and Republican and Democratic political leaders — began developing about a month ago to expand the coalition and outline a plan of action to motivate Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The grassroots group will unveil its action steps in a news conference at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Carpenters and Milwrights Training Center, 361 Breaden Drive, in Monroe.

 

The coalition’s four focuses in reform are to: secure the country’s borders; create a program for immigrants already in the country to register and gain a pathway to citizenship; establish a guest worker program like the one President George W. Bush proposed to provide immigrants full labor rights; and hold employers accountable to labor laws.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/news/stories/2006/07/17/hjn071806fixitnow_s.html

 

From the 7/19/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

More plead guilty to harboring illegals

By Luke E. Saladin

Post staff reporter

 

Three more people pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to harboring illegal immigrants and helping them find work in the Northern Kentucky homebuilding industry.

 

One of the pleas before Judge David Bunning in U.S. District Court in Covington was entered by Jacqueline Pratt-Medina, daughter of Robert Pratt, a contractor who authorities contend is a major figure - and a key link to Fischer Homes - in the two-year federal investigation into the hiring of illegal immigrants.

 

Medina was facing 10 year in prison and a potential $250,000 fine if her case had gone to trial, but now will likely have her sentenced reduced to 18 months or less, according to federal guidelines. In a deal with prosecutors, she agreed to cooperate with investigators and, if necessary, testify against her father, who is charged with hiring and supervising undocumented workers, said her attorney, Michael Bouldin.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/NEWS01/607190362/1010/RSS01

 

CLICK on the link for the pic of Mike Fox.  He looks like Chris Farley's "Matt Foley" character.

 

From the 7/21/06 Enquirer:

 

PHOTO: Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox, a member of "Fix It Now," during the June 12 immigration forum at the Butler County Government Services Building.  Enquirer file

 

Coalition seeks stiffer laws on immigration

BY JENNIFER EDWARDS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MONROE - Saying Congress isn't tough enough on illegal immigration, a coalition of unions, a Republican county commissioner and others is calling on House Majority Leader John Boehner to support a four-point policy that would include building a fence along the Mexican border.

 

"We believe that this issue is one of the most important issues facing our nation," said Mark Galea, chairman of the new "Fix It Now" committee. "It is outrageous that Congress has pushed it to the back burner and neglected their duty to protect America from the harm that it is enduring because of an immigration system that is broken."

 

The Fix It Now committee says members include Galea, area director of organizing for the Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters in Monroe; Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox; the Cincinnati Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice; several other unions; and a few construction businesses.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/NEWS01/607210404/1056/rss02

 

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From the 7/21/06 Pulse Journal:

 

Illegal faces charges

By Michael D. Pitman

Pulse Journal

 

FAIRFIELD - A Fairfield restaurant owner could be deported after being charged with harboring and hiring illegal immigrants, authorities said.  Jing Fei Jiang, a 36-year-old illegal alien who owns Bee's Restaurant, was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati with one count of inducement of illegal aliens.

 

Jiang has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since the raid of his home at 5675 David Place on June 5. Authorities said they found 10 restaurant employees living there.  Jiang admitted to housing, transporting and employing the illegal immigrants, as well as not completing the employment verification documents, according to an affidavit.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/NEWS01/607210367/1010/RSS01

 

From the 7/26/06 Enquirer:

 

Three plead not guilty to hiring immigrants

BY QUAN TRUONG | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Three people pleaded not guilty Tuesday to employing more than 1,000 illegal immigrants and laundering more than $12 million from two temporary labor companies - one based in Wilmington, Ohio.

 

Maximino García, owner of García Labor Co., in Morristown, Tenn., and García Labor Co. of Ohio, and two corporate officers appeared in United States District Court in Cincinnati on the charges. García, 42, of San Antonio, Texas; Dominga McCarroll, 53, of Bean Station, Tenn.; and Gina Luciano, 40, of Morristown, were released on their own recognizance.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/NEWS01/607260364/1056/rss02

 

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From the 7/26/06 Lima News:

 

Beck says he will seek ICE contract to be able to detain illegals

By DOMINIC ADAMS

07/26/2006

 

LIMA — As soon as the Allen County Jail is no longer crowded, Sheriff Dan Beck may start filling it up again.  Beck, who said he will try to reduce the number of inmates by between 50 and 100 within the next six months, said he would like to be able to house illegal immigrants.

 

However, to keep illegals the jail must have a contract through the Department of Homeland Security and it must be inspected annually.  A contract would allow the county to hold prisoners for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

MORE: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=27987

 

From the 7/27/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

Illegal immigrant stays in plea deal

By Paul A. Long

Post staff reporter

 

Juan Acosta-Martinez snuck into the United States illegally, and he's worked in Northern Kentucky using a forged resident card.  As of today, though, the Mexican citizen is under a federal judge's order to remain in Greater Cincinnati, and he's allowed to work through a temporary arrangement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

 

Those provisions were part of a plea deal Wednesday with federal authorities, in which Acosta-Martinez agreed both to admit his crimes and help the government in its investigation into the use of illegal immigrant workers in the Northern Kentucky home-building industry.

 

The vast majority of those were illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central American counties.  But more than 20 people - including Pratt and four supervisors from Fisher Homes - have been charged with felonies, ranging from possessing counterfeit identification cards to harboring illegal immigrants to money laundering.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/NEWS01/607270371/1010/RSS01

 

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From the 7/27/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Restaurant owner faces prison, deportation

By Michael D. Pitman

Staff Writer

 

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Chinese restaurant owner charged with harboring and employing illegal immigrants is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Ohio Aug. 3.  The initial appearance for Jing Fei Jiang, 36, in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati will be quick, said U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Fred Alverson.  At the appearance before Magistrate Judge Timothy Hogan, a preliminary hearing will be set.

 

Federal investigators charged Jiang, an illegal immigrant and owner of Bee’s Buffet Restaurant, 725 Nilles Road, on July 20 with one count of inducement of illegal aliens.  Jiang, of China, has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since the raid of his David Place home on June 5. Investigators found 10 employees living there, along with employment and financial documents.  Jiang will be transported to Cincinnati by U.S. Marshals.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/news/stories/2006/07/26/HJN072706BEES_s.html

 

From the AP, 8/1/06:

 

PHOTO: Jose Bravo, owner of La Raza grocery store in Middletown, shows products sold at his store targeted toward people who speak Spanish. Tough talk on immigration over the past year in Butler County has alarmed some of the area's immigrants.  The Associated Press / David Kohl

 

PHOTO: A billboard showing a message from Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is displayed July 19 in Middletown. "The public is so frustrated with illegal immigration," said Jones.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / DAVID KOHL

 

Some immigrants leave Butler County as debate heats up

BY DAN SEWELL | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

MIDDLETOWN - At his Tienda La Raza grocery store and restaurant, Jose Bravo sells Spanish-language DVDs and Mexico soccer jerseys, chorizo sausage and chopped cactus. Lately, there has been another hot seller - one-way bus tickets.

 

"People that had been in the United States for a while, who were planning to stay, now they feel scared," Bravo said. He said he has sold at least 10 tickets in recent weeks to people moving to Michigan or other parts of Ohio, or who have decided to go back to Mexico.

 

Tough talk on immigration over the past year in Butler County has alarmed some immigrants, many of whom work in construction in this booming area midway between Cincinnati and Dayton. Around the county, billboards show Sheriff Richard Jones warning, "Hire an Illegal - Break the Law."

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060801/NEWS01/608010326/1056

 

From the 8/4/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Fairfield restaurant owner’s case on hold until Wednesday

By Mary Lolli

Staff Writer

 

FAIRFIELD — A federal hearing was continued Thursday for Jing Fei Jiang, the owner of Bee’s Buffet Chinese restaurant charged with harboring and employing illegal immigrants.  Jiang, 36, is now scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Wednesday.

 

Jiang has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since the raid of his David Place home in Fairfield on June 5.  Investigators found 10 employees living there, along with employment and financial documents.  According to a federal affidavit, Jiang admitted to housing, transporting and employing illegal immigrants, as well as not completing the employment verification documents.

 

His restaurant, at 725 Nilles Road, has remained closed since June 5.  If convicted Jiang could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  He could also be deported.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/news/stories/2006/08/03/HJN080406JIANG_s.html

 

From the 8/4/06 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Immigration proposals

 

State GOP targets illegals

Party wants tough, ‘proactive’ immigration law; Latino leader sees persecution

Friday, August 04, 2006

Jim Siegel

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

As Congress struggles with an illegalimmigration problem that has steadily moved up on Americans’ list of top concerns, Ohio Republican leaders unveiled a proposal yesterday to crack down on immigrants here.

 

If Republicans who control the General Assembly pass the legislation by the end of the year, Ohio would create an investigative office to ensure that employers follow immigration laws. The state also would seek a federal OK for local law-enforcement officers to arrest immigrants solely for being here illegally.

 

The proposal says that adults deemed to be illegal immigrants would not qualify for in-state tuition, scholarships or public health-care benefits, and the state could impose a $50,000 fine for counterfeiting identification documents.  In some instances, the Ohio proposal goes beyond measures under consideration in states along the southwestern border.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/04/20060804-A1-00.html

 

From the 8/10/06 DDN:

 

Restaurant owner, illegal immigrant, has first day in court

 

CINCINNATI — The Fairfield Chinese restaurant owner charged with harboring and employing illegal immigrants made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday.  Jing Fei Jiang, 36, an illegal immigrant and owner of Bee's Buffet Restaurant, 725 Nilles Road, went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Hogan, who set a preliminary hearing for Aug. 23.

 

During Wednesday's appearance, Jiang was read the charge — one count of inducement of illegal aliens — and the hearing was scheduled, U.S. attorney spokesman Fred Alverson said.

 

Jiang has been in custody since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided his home, 5675 David Place, on June 5.  Jiang was one of 10 people arrested.  He was one of seven found to be in this country illegally, Alverson said.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/081006restaurant.html

 

WTF?!?!?!

 

Butler Co. sheriff asks feds to help

Applies for training to cut illegal immigration

BY JENNIFER EDWARDS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

HAMILTON - Butler County sheriff's deputies could be the first in Ohio to receive federal immigration law-enforcement training so they can work to reduce the problem of illegal immigration here, officials said Thursday.  Butler County commissioners approved Sheriff Richard Jones' request for 10 deputies to undergo five weeks of training from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency

 

If the federal agency approves the application, deputies must work under the supervision and direction of ICE, not Jones, said sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Gebhart, who oversees administrative services.  The deputies also won't be solely dedicated to immigration enforcement, he noted.

 

"We won't be going out and rounding up folks on the corner," Commissioner Mike Fox said.  "There are 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the whole country and you have 5,700 ICE agents trying to enforce the law and you have 800,000 police agencies.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060811/NEWS01/608110399/1056

Study says immigration not hurting jobs

Pew researchers find increases in foreign-born haven't led to higher unemployment in U.S.

By Stephen Ohlemacher

Associated Press

 

WASHINGTON - Big increases in immigration since 1990 have not hurt employment prospects for American workers, says a study released Thursday.  The report comes as Congress and much of the nation debate immigration policy, a big issue in this fall's congressional elections.

 

The Pew Hispanic Center found no evidence that increases in immigration led to higher unemployment among Americans, said Rakesh Kochhar, who authored the study.  Kochhar said other factors, such as economic growth, played a larger role than immigration in setting the job market for Americans.

 

Kochhar cautioned that immigration could affect job markets in some places, but the study found no national trend supporting a link.  States with big increases in immigration were just as likely as states with little immigration to have low unemployment, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/15249830.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_business

THIS WOULD BE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sheriff may tangle with Jon Stewart

By Chris Dumond

Hamilton Journal News

Staff Writer

 

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones’ outspoken views on immigration could land him a spot on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”  Jones said show producers contacted him Friday and Monday about possibly appearing on the show, although nothing has been confirmed.

 

The Daily Show, which appears on Comedy Central, intertwines real interviews with real newsmakers with tongue-in-cheek segments poking fun at current events.  “Basically, they make humor out of serious situations,” Jones said.  “I’m willing to do the show if it will bring light, even in a humorous way, if it brings light and attention to the cause of getting something done about illegal immigration.”

 

Jones’ get-tough stance on immigration reform has rated coverage in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Fox News Channel.  He’s almost always shown standing with arms folded outside the jail beside his “illegal immigrants here” sign.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/news/stories/2006/08/15/HJN081506JONESDAILYWEB.html

^ That would be awesome.

 

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From the 8/16/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

Dismissal sought in immigrant work case

By Paul A. Long

Post staff reporter

 

An attorney for one of the four Fischer Homes supervisors charged with employing illegal aliens said the federal immigration statutes he was charged under are so clearly and patently ambiguous that they should be declared unconstitutional.

 

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Covington, attorney Gary Sergent also asks Judge David Bunning to dismiss the charges against Timothy Copsy.

 

The problem Copsy faces, Sergent said, is that one section of the law makes it illegal for him to ask workers their immigration or citizenship status. Yet, he is charged under another section with knowingly harboring the immigrants by providing them jobs, Sergent said. "The ... statutes, when read collectively, are clearly ambiguous," Sergent wrote.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS01/608160357/1010/RSS01

 

From the 8/17/06 DDN:

 

Immigrants indicted in Hamilton slaying

Man was attacked by a group of men and stabbed following an argument with his girlfriend.

By Mary Lolli

Staff Writer

 

HAMILTON | Three illegal immigrants from Mexico have been indicted in the July 1 stabbing death of a Middletown man during a domestic dispute in Hamilton.  A Butler County grand jury Wednesday returned formal charges of murder and tampering with evidence against Jesus Alcala-Nava, 23, in the slaying of Mario Anjeles Rios, also 23.  Juana Antonia Riverol-Dominguez, 26, and Jesus Linares-Dominguez, 24, have also been indicted on two counts each of obstructing justice.

 

Hamilton police said Rios was approached by a group of men in the 600 block of Ludlow Street about 2 a.m., shortly after an argument with his girlfriend. Authorities said Alcala-Nava used a large knife and cut Rios' right forearm and then stabbed him in the back.  The assault was not reported to police until Rios arrived at an area hospital.  He was later taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati, where he was pronounced dead.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/081706immigrantcharges.html

 

From the 8/22/06 East Liverpool Review:

 

PHOTO: Lisbon resident Wayne Herrod protests immigration policies with a sign directed at visiting Senators Mike DeWine and John McCain in Hanoverton Monday afternoon. (Photo by Wayne Maris)

 

Immigration the issue for protesters at DeWine event

By MARY ANN GREIER ([email protected])

 

HANOVERTON — Not everyone on Plymouth Street sang the praises of visiting Senators Mike DeWine and John McCain at a rally Monday afternoon.  Lisbon resident Wayne Herrod and fellow America First Party member Jerry Martin of Parma Heights hoisted a sign in reference to recent legislation which would allow some illegal aliens to become legal.

 

When asked why someone from Lisbon would care about the immigration issue, he referred to a display from a money wiring service printed in Spanish and giving directions on how to wire money back to Mexico.  “I know they’re in the area,” he said.

 

He claimed that illegal aliens were taking jobs Ohioans would do, such as construction, roofing, landscaping or manufacturing positions which don’t require the use of the English language.  He also mentioned the use of public health care and welfare.

 

MORE: http://reviewonline.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=2939

 

From the 8/26/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

Others fearful as couple deported

By Paul A. Long

Post staff reporter

 

The deportation Friday of a well-educated Venezuelan couple who admitted lying about their citizenship when they registered to vote in Boone County, Ky., has struck a chord among those who are in the United States illegally, their lawyer said.

 

Abraham E. Gomez, 46, and his wife, Mayen C. Gomez, 41, entered the United States legally on a visa, but became illegal when they overstayed, said attorney John Arnett.  Still, the couple, both of whom have college degrees, settled in Union, obtained jobs, and sent their two children to school.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060826/NEWS01/608260372

 

Voting illegally is a big deal...they take that seriously.  Definitely an unwise choice...

 

There was a story a few years ago about a guy from Austalia, here legally, but who voted illegally.  He'd been here 20+ years and got deported...

From the 8/28/06 Middletown Journal:

 

What price justice in Butler County?

Interpreters are in growing demand for county courts, but process slower, more costly.

By By Mary Lolli, Staff Writer

Monday, August 28, 2006

 

When three suspected illegal immigrants were arraigned last week in connection with the slaying of a Middletown man, they each were flanked by a court-appointed attorney and an interpreter — and their hearings took more than twice as long as the average arraignment.

 

Those hearings, along with numerous others throughout the week, represent a growing scenario in Butler County courts as increasing numbers of foreign-speaking defendants face an American criminal justice system that can't communicate directly with them and vice versa.

 

"When your witnesses and defendants all speak a language other than English, it does pose difficulties at trial," Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper said. "We have had several cases where an interpreter has been used for most of the testimony presented at trial. It really slows down the presentation of evidence and makes the trial more tedious.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/mj082806hispanicchallenge.html

 

Five Trillion Dollars On The March

Thursday, May 11, 2006

 

The projected Hispanic population of the United States for July 1, 2050, is 102.6 million people. According to this projection, Hispanics will then make up 24% of the nation’s total population. At the same time, the black population is projected to rise from 35.8 million to 61.4 million by 2050, an increase of about 26 million or 71 percent. That would raise their share of the country’s population from 12.7 percent to 14.6 percent.

 

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) made the hiring of an illegal alien an offense for the first time. American businesses hire well over 10 million illegal aliens per year, with 4.2 million or more normalized into our economy. A 2005 Pew Hispanic Center survey on attitudes toward immigration, conducted in part in Mexico, found that an estimated 70 million adults in Mexico would come to the U.S. if they had the means and the opportunity.About half of those said they would be willing to move to and work in this country illegally.

 

MORE: http://cincinnatichange.blogspot.com/2006/05/five-trillion-dollars-on-march.html

From the 9/2/06 Enquirer:

 

Two from Fischer indicted

Six now stand accused of harboring and hiring illegal immigrants to build homes

BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

COVINGTON - Two additional Fischer Homes employees have been indicted as part of two-year federal investigation into the use of illegal immigrants to build houses.  This brings the total number of Fischer Homes employees indicted since May to six.

 

The new indictments are against construction superintendents Ronald Vanlandingham and David Schroeder.  Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060902/NEWS0103/609020391/1059/rss13

 

From the 9/7/06 Enquirer:

 

Some Fischer charges dropped

BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

COVINGTON - Federal prosecutors moved Wednesday to dismiss charges against one of six Fischer Homes employees indicted after an investigation into hiring of illegal immigrants to build houses.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBride filed a motion in U.S. District Court asking that the charge of aiding and abetting the harboring of illegal aliens be dropped against William Ring, a site supervisor.  Ring's attorney, Dean Pisacano, confirmed that his client resigned from Fischer on Tuesday.

 

McBride's motion prompted the lawyer for a Fischer employee still under indictment to speculate that Ring was cooperating with federal authorities.  "This would lead me to believe he has worked out some sort of deal," said Lisa Osborne Bushelman, who represents Douglas Witt.  The four additional Fischer employees under indictment are William Allison, Timothy Copsy, David Schroeder and Ronald Vanlandingham.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060907/NEWS0103/609070395/1059/rss13

 

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From the 9/8/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Restaurant owner indicted on 11 federal counts

By Michael D. Pitman

Staff Writer

Friday, September 08, 2006

 

FAIRFIELD — A federal grand jury this week indicted the owner of a closed Fairfield Chinese restaurant on 11 counts related to employing and harboring illegal immigrants.  Jing Fei Jiang, 36, who operated Bee's Buffet, 725 Nilles Road, was taken into custody on June 5 following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of his David Place home in Fairfield. He was later charged with inducement of illegal aliens.  On Tuesday, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati indicted Jiang on:

 

• Three counts of illegal employment of unauthorized alien;

• Three counts of illegal transportation of unauthorized alien;

• Three counts of illegal harboring of unauthorized alien;

• One count of false attestation of citizenship;

• One count of false statement to bank on loan application.

 

"This is an excellent example of how ICE intends to move on employers who use illegal aliens in their workforce," said Greg Palmore, ICE spokesman.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/07/hjn090806beesindict.html

 

From the 9/9/06 Enquirer:

 

More deals in Fischer cases

9 have pled guilty in investigation of company use of illegal immigrants

BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

COVINGTON - Nine people swept up in the two-year investigation into the use of illegal immigrants to build new houses has cut plea deals with federal prosecutors.

 

With Friday's plea from subcontractor Robert Pratt, he became the latest to agree to testify against five Fischer Homes employees who are charged with conspiring, aiding and abetting, or harboring illegal aliens.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBride has moved to drop harboring charges against a sixth Fischer Homes employee, leading lawyers following the case to believe he, too, is cooperating.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS0103/609090380/1059/rss13

 

From the 9/12/06 Middletown Journal:

 

Immigration bill rushed to committee

Campaigners are finding out public wants answers on plans to halt influx of illegals.

By Mary Lolli

Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

 

HAMILTON — Voter questions about Ohio's stance on illegal immigration has prompted Assistant House Majority Whip Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, to rush a draft bill into the House Judiciary committee today — a bill that key proponents have not yet seen.

 

"I have no idea what the bill says, or how much of my proposals stayed intact. All I know is that I was notified last week that Bill Seitz was drafting a bill," said State Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton.

 

Combs said Monday he had been told the draft bill will contain language that gives local law enforcement the authority to detain suspected illegal immigrants and makes illegal immigration a state trespass offense.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/12/mj091206immigrationbill.html

 

GOP favoring faster tax cut, limits on illegal immigrants

BY ANNIE HALL AND JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER COLUMBUS BUREAU

September 13, 2006

 

COLUMBUS - An early income tax cut and tougher immigration laws were proposed Tuesday by House Republicans who said those were the top concerns they were hearing when campaigning.  The House Ways and Means Committee voted 17-1 to speed up the five-year, 21 percent income tax cut so it's completed in four years.  If the measure is passed by the full legislature this year, Ohio taxpayers would owe $192 million less on April 15 of next year.

 

In a separate legislative development Tuesday, Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Green Township, gave sponsor testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on a bill to toughen immigration laws within Ohio.  Seitz and other Republicans said they are taking action because federal lawmakers have been slow to crack down on illegal immigration.

 

Ruben Castilla Herrera, director of the Latino Leadership Initiative, wondered why such sweeping changes are needed when there are fewer than 75,000 undocumented aliens in Ohio or less than 1 percent of the state's total population.  Herrera said legislators, including Seitz, "could not substantiate anything," adding that such proposals merely intimidate all immigrants, including those who are legally in the United States.  He said that federal laws already deal with the problems cited by Seitz.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS01/609130366/1056

From the 9/13/06 Middletown Journal:

 

Area leaders: State immigration bill falls short

By Mary Lolli, Staff Writer

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

 

HAMILTON — A proposed bill detailing measures to enforce illegal immigration laws in Ohio would establish two new government agencies, but falls short of meeting goals established by local officials who initiated its creation.  House Assistant Majority Whip Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, on Tuesday presented a draft immigration bill to the House Judiciary Committee for review — just shortly after unveiling it to House colleagues and other interested parties.  The bill contains 25 key elements, including:

 

• Requiring contractors to verify the legal status of employees.

• Prohibiting persons who receive state grants or loans from hiring illegal immigrants.

• Prohibiting the awarding of state student financial aid, and certain public assistance to illegal immigrants.

 

The bill also calls for the establishment of an Office of Immigration Compliance and an Office of Immigration Outreach.  But it doesn't call for establishing a state law that would give local law enforcement agencies the authority to arrest and detain suspected illegal immigrants — a key provision recommended by the Buckeye Sheriff's Association and local officials who sought a state initiative.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/13/mj091306immigrationbill.html

 

From the 9/15/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Residents want police, prosecutor to crack down on illegal residents

Father of man killed outside Mason bar wants politicians 'to listen'

By Tiffany Y. Latta

Staff Writer

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 

HAMILTON TWP. — Bill Barnhill is determined to stop people living in the country illegally from calling Warren County home.  Barnhill's son Kevin was killed in Mason last month and the men accused of the crime had entered the United States without a visa, police said.  Now Barnhill is among a dozen residents who have formed Citizens for Legal Communities to discourage people who have entered the county illegally from settling in Warren County.

 

Police continue to search for a man wanted in connection with the beating and stabbing death of Barnhill near the Mason Pub. Enrique Torres, 27, of Cincinnati is wanted for complicity to commit murder in the death of Kevin Barnhill.  Humberto Mota, 30, of Mason faces the same charge and is being held at the Warren County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/14/ws091506immigrants.html

 

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From the 9/15/06 Toledo Blade:

 

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Local Latinos to push for rights

FLOC convention in Toledo to focus on immigration issues

By CLYDE HUGHES

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The fight over illegal immigration exploded last spring with Latinos taking to the streets across America, derailing - at least temporarily - federal legislation that would have made their families and those who support them felons.  But as Hispanic Heritage Month begins today, Baldemar Velasquez, the founder and president of the Toledo-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee, said he doesn't want the issue swept under the rug until after the November elections.

 

FLOC, one of the leading unions for migrant farm workers, will hold its 10th triannual constitutional convention Sept. 30 at the SeaGate Centre downtown, where Mr. Velasquez wants to hold visiting candidates accountable on the issue of immigration rights.  Issues like immigration will be interspersed with cultural celebrations as northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan observe national Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs to Oct. 15.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS14/609150339/-1/NEWS

 

All from the 9/19/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Immigration debate affects city's image

By Chris Dumond

Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

 

HAMILTON — While Sheriff Richard K. Jones' push for local enforcement of immigration laws, state Rep. Courtney Combs' English-only bill and Commissioner Michael Fox's proposed pledges against hiring illegal immigrants enjoy some vocal political support in Butler County, not everyone has been thrilled with the national attention Hamilton has been getting lately.

 

Hispanic business owners have complained for months that the rhetoric is hurting business. Illegal immigrants have stopped going out, they say, and those here legally are fed up and aren't spending money as before. Even in the heart of the city's Hispanic population on East Avenue, Los Piños manager Ramona Ramirez said she's struggling. It's an area of town that, with the exception of a couple of bars, was mostly devoid of any business. Now, the future of the half dozen or so Hispanic shops there is uncertain, owners said.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/19/hjn091906image.html

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U.S. citizen: 'It's never really been easy'

By Lisa A. Bernard

Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

 

HAMILTON — Guillermina "Pat" Camacho is running out of answers. A U.S. citizen for more than 15 years, Camacho came to the states from Mexico City in 1990 on a work visa. She was one of 44 Mexican students working at the former Americana Amusement Park in Monroe. After marrying a local man, she gained her residency.

 

When people here had trouble pronouncing her first name, she decided "Pat" would suffice. It was one of the few easy answers to the tough issues she would face as an Hispanic immigrant living in southwest Ohio.

 

In fact, "it's never really been easy," said Camacho, who works at the Harry T. Wilks Center at Miami University Hamilton. "Even though you think that racism is over, I actually go through it or hear about it every day of my life."

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/19/hjn091906camacho.html

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Jones has become a media — and blog — focus

By Mary Lolli

Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

 

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, whose stance on illegal immigrants has brought him national attention, says he's glad it's become a topic of debate.

 

"At least people are talking about it," Jones said. "A year ago, the problems associated with illegal immigration were stewing on a back burner in Washington, D.C. and no one was paying any attention to the impact it was having in the heartland of America. Now they are."

 

October will mark one year since Jones starting sending bills to the federal government for the cost of housing suspected illegal immigrants in the county jail. The undocumented inmates are either serving time or awaiting trial for crimes unrelated to their legal status in the U.S.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/19/hjn091906sheriff.html

 

All from the 9/18/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Millions of dollars flowing out of Ohio to native countries

By Chris Dumond

Staff Writer

Monday, September 18, 2006

 

HAMILTON — With Latin America-born Ohioans sending an estimated $108 million per year back to their home countries, local banks are trying harder than ever to get a piece of the business.

 

For most financial institutions, garnering a larger part of the Hispanic market has meant offering services in Spanish, having Spanish-speaking staffers in its bank branches and engaging in culturally relevant marketing. Increasingly, though, banks have tried to capture a larger piece of the remittance business — the industry term for the payments sent home — by going head-to-head with wire transfer services.

 

"If you look at the remittance business in general, we're talking about billions of dollars," Fifth Third Bank Hispanic Initiatives Manager Gema Bahns said. "But, if you look at the percentage that companies like ours ? are able to capture, it's really, really small."

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/18/hjn091806banks.html

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Tax coffers grow, while services siphon them off

By Christopher Magan

Staff Writer

Monday, September 18, 2006

 

BUTLER COUNTY — Cost is at the heart of the debate over immigration. The cost in human terms. The dollars and cents of taxes, paychecks and Social Security. The outlay of social services and schools. The labor that fuels our economy.

 

Yet there are no agreed-upon hard numbers, starting with exactly how many illegal immigrants are living and working here. The U.S. Census Bureau and other surveys don't ask immigrants about legal status.

 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates there are 11 million illegal residents. Other groups say it's as high as 20 million.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/18/hjn091806economy.html

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What do illegal immigrants bring in and take out?

Staff Report

Monday, September 18, 2006

 

THE FACTS

Illegal immigrants in the U.S.

* 11 million in 2005.

* Between 75,000 and 150,000 reside in Ohio.

* 5 million living in California, Texas and Florida.

* 6 million of Mexican descent.

 

Source: DHLS and Pew Hispanic Center

 

Butler County Census statistics

2005

Population: 339,309

Below the poverty level: 12.4 percent

Speak language other than English at home: 16,033

Foreign born: 12,886

Estimate of children born to illegals: 2 percent

 

2000

Population: 332,807

Below the poverty level: 8.7 percent

Speak language other than English at home: 15,525

Foreign born: 9,147

Estimate of children born to illegals: 1 to 2 percent

 

Source: U.S. Census and Center for Immigration Studies.

 

MORE

Online en español: www.journal-news.com/nuestra

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/18/hjn091806economyfacts.html

 

From the 9/22/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Immigration issues impact local courts' bottom line

By Mary Lolli

Staff Writer

Thursday, September 21, 2006

 

HAMILTON — Since 2001, Butler County Common Pleas Courts have spent nearly $30,000 for foreign language interpreters.  Since October 2005, County Sheriff Richard K. Jones has billed the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement more than $175,000 for housing "undocumented" foreign nationals in the county jail, arrested on criminal charges unrelated to their immigration status.

 

Fairfield Municipal Court Judge Joyce Campbell became so inundated with foreign speaking defendants that she set aside every Wednesday for a "Hispanic Docket."  Fairfield Court Administrator Ed Roberts said the court has spent an average of $12,000 annually in the past two years for interpreters.  "Immigration, legal or not, has had a dramatic impact on the legal system," said county Administrative Judge Patricia Oney.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/21/hjn092206legal.html

 

From the 9/26/06 Lima News:

 

State immigration law pending

BY TIM RAUSCH - Sep. 26, 2006

 

LIMA — A bill to restrict state benefits for illegal immigrants is pending in the Ohio House.  Cincinnati representative Bill Seitz introduced the bill Sept. 12 that also seeks to establish an immigration compliance office within the state attorney general’s office. 

 

State Rep. John Willamowski, R-Lima, said the bill is in the judiciary committee and hasn’t been debated yet.  House Bill 654 would prohibit the issuing of concealed weapons licenses and student financial aid for illegal immigrants, as well as other public assistance benefits, even preventing bail money from a bond agent.

 

Willamowski, in giving his legislative update to the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce on Monday, said there are provisions in the bill that ask the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to send a list of suspected illegal immigrants who are serving prison sentences to the state’s immigration compliance office.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=30278

 

From the 9/27/06 Enquirer:

 

Sheriff: Homicide suspect should have been deported

BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

WEST CHESTER TWP. - As police continued searching Tuesday for the 39-year-old man accused of stabbing his wife to death here over the weekend, Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones said federal immigration officials should have deported the man months ago.

 

Melvin Ramon Mejia is charged with killing his wife of six years, Jackelin Romero, 24.  She was found dead about 10 p.m. Sunday inside her apartment in the 4500 block of Wyndtree Drive at The Trails of West Chester.  Police said they suspect Mejia has fled the state to hide with family in Tennessee.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/NEWS01/609270386/1056/rss02

 

From the 9/28/06 Pulse-Journal:

 

Citizens' group sets next meeting on illegal immigration

Local nonprofit seeks passage of state legislation.

Staff Report

Thursday, September 28, 2006

 

Citizens for Legal Communities formed following the stabbing death of Little Miami High School graduate Kevin Barnhill Aug. 26 outside the Mason Pub, allegedly by at least one illegal immigrant.  The group of concerned citizens is campaigning for passage of tougher illegal immigration laws both at the state level and nationwide.

 

Citizens for Legal Communities has scheduled a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Little Miami High School auditorium for others who are interested in learning more about illegal immigration and what steps are being taken to counter it.

 

MORE: http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/28/ws092806immigrants.html

 

From the 10/4/06 Enquirer:

 

Firms admit hiring illegals

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

The leaders of two temporary labor companies pleaded guilty Tuesday to employing 400 illegal immigrants in southern Ohio.  The companies, Garcia Labor Co. Inc. and Garcia Labor Co. of Ohio, also agreed to forfeit $12 million in cash and property.

 

Federal prosecutors say company officials routinely overlooked fraudulent identification cards and hired immigrants they should have known were in the country illegally.  Many immigrants hired by the Garcia companies worked as temporary laborers for ABX Air Inc., an air cargo transportation company in Wilmington.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/NEWS01/610040362/1056/rss02

 

From the 10/6/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Immigration leader calls for sweeping reform

By Lisa A. Bernard

Staff Writer

Friday, October 06, 2006

 

HAMILTON — When it comes to the national debate on immigration policy, the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops is using both statistics and scripture to make its case.  On Thursday night at Miami University Hamilton, Leo Anchondo, the council's national director of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign, spoke on "The Impact of Immigration Reform on America's Future."

 

Anchondo framed the conversation by first showing a video entitled "Stranger No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope."  A joint project with the University of Notre Dame, the video placed the immigration debate within context of teachings of the Catholic church and Christianity.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/06/mj100606immigration.html

 

You stay classy Cincinnati!!!

 

Immigration issue draws a crowd

Many at meeting back enforcement power for state

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

October 10, 2006

 

HAMILTON TWP. - About 100 people Monday night discussed the issue of illegal immigration in Warren County during a town hall meeting at Little Miami High School.  During the sometimes impassioned discussions, it appeared the overwhelming majority of those who attended support legislation that would help local authorities enforce immigration laws - now the responsibility of the federal government.

 

The meeting was organized by Citizens for Legal Communities, a group formed by several Warren County residents last month after the August stabbing death of Little Miami High School graduate Kevin Barnhill behind a Mason bar - allegedly at the hands of one or more illegal immigrants. 

 

A panel of elected officials spoke and took questions on the laws and on Ohio House Bill 654, which was introduced last month in an effort to put more teeth in immigration enforcement in Ohio.  If passed into law, the bill would establish a state office of immigration compliance, restrict illegal immigrants from attending state-funded universities and restrict public benefits, among other provisions.  Contractors who knowingly employ illegal immigrants would be prohibited from getting state contacts.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061010/NEWS01/610100364/1056/COL02

I don't see why Ohio cant deport illegal immigrants at least out of state if they can't deport them out of the country.

 

Hutzel said that crime by illegal immigrants is on the rise in Warren County.

 

"We see about one case come to grand jury a week involving an illegal immigrant. That's one felony case," she said.

 

I don't know if there are any hard stats on this, but could it be that some of these illegals are on the run from wrongdoing in Mexico, where they engaged in criminal or antisocial behavior in their villages or wherever they come from, and are now on the run? 

 

 

okay, I don't know about illegal immigration. but Ohio definately needs immigration. Cities with a lot of immigrants are ones that do really well economically. Plus, you consider what immigration did for Cleveland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Everything went downhill when immigration declined. 

Dont expect people in Hamilton to realize that

believe me, I don't.

Dont expect people in Hamilton to realize that

 

...yeah they're to busy looking out for "streakers"  LOL

All from the 10/15/06 Lima News:

 

PHOTO: Gloria Lomali, of Leipsic, prays resting on a wooden church pew during a Wednesday night service at Fuente de Vida in Leipsic.  (Lima News photo by KELLI CARDINAL)

 

Hispanic community quietly growing

BY BART MILLS - Oct. 15, 2006

 

The signs are everywhere, literally. Swing into a local appliance rental store, and the sign claims you can “Sea Pueno en 12 Messes!”  Down the road, an electronics store boasts deals with “No Dinero Hacia Abajo!”

 

Whether running grocery stores, banks or car lots, if you’re doing business in this region — or pretty much anywhere in the country — chances are good you’re doing some of that business in Spanish.  Despite their prevalence, most Americans don’t notice the signs, making them an apt metaphor for the immigrant experience in our region.

 

“It’s there. The signs are there, but if you don’t use them, you don’t see them,” said Danny Hernandez, pointing to Spanish-language sign roughly the size of a smallish bookcase hanging in the window of Lima Rent-A-Center. “It’s like all things Mexican: There, but you don’t see it unless you’re looking.”

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=30998

 

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Illegal immigrants turn to factories for stability

BY ANDRES R. MARTINEZ - Oct. 15, 2006

 

LIMA — An hour after the end of a 12-hour shift placing caps on Tide and Gain laundry detergent bottles, Rogelio Ruiz sits down with some coffee and animal crackers to watch satellite television.  “They always have the latest news,” said Ruiz, as the 7 a.m. TVT newscast, a station from Tabasco, Mexico, unfolded.

 

Ruiz, 24, lives with two men from Mexico in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Lima.  He’s been in Lima for almost year, working at a pallet-making company and two companies that process laundry detergent bottles.  Slowly, he and his roommates have acquired the creature comforts found in many American homes: a television, bench press and DVD machine.

 

But these hardly hide their struggle or let Ruiz forget what he has overcome since crossing into the United States.  Like thousands of immigrants in Lima, he has found work without knowing any English and without a visa.  Looking for stability and higher wages, Ruiz has turned from farm jobs to factory work, where decent pay isn’t susceptible to a bad crop.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31023

 

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Migrants in field ‘live a primordial life’

BY ANDRES R. MARTINEZ - Oct. 15, 2006

 

OTTAWA — None of the three men standing outside this white boarding house said he wanted to stay in the United States.  Cut off from their homes and families in Mexico, they eke out a meager existence, getting up at 6 a.m. every day to pick Meijer corn, bell peppers and miniature pumpkins in Allen County fields.

 

“We live a primordial life here,” said Marcos Andrade, 34, from the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz. “Only the poorest and the most adventurous pass through.”

 

Making $6 an hour and sometimes as much as $10 picking bell peppers, these three labor every day for eight hours in the sun to come back home to an eight-bedroom house they share with six other immigrants.  Tonight they are watching television and drinking a few beers to pass the time. They might play cards, maybe even dominoes, but there is little else to distract them from their tenuous situation as illegal immigrants.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31022

 

From the 10/16/06 Lima News:

 

PHOTO: First-grader Audrey Luna sits with her classmates gathered on the floor while listening to her teacher, Marcia Lugibihl, read a story at the summer migrant school in Miller City.  (Lima News photo by KELLI CARDINAL)

 

Educators tackle language barrier

BY BETH L. JOKINEN - Oct. 16, 2006

 

MILLER CITY — Seven-year-old Julio finishes reading “The Zoo” with his mentor, and now there’s a little time left for a board game.  “What goes tick-tock,” one question reads. “What rings.” He gets another one right.  “I think I might win again,” the usually quiet Julio tells mentor Katie Hummel.

 

It’s not only a game the son of Putnam County migrant workers is playing at the county’s summer migrant school.  It’s an exercise to help him better read and speak English.  “For a lot of these kids, it’s harder for them to want to sit down and do the exercises,” Hummel said. “This game, while it’s educational, it’s a game to them, and they love it.”

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31013

 

Both from the 10/17/06 Lima News:

 

A growing influence

BY BOB BLAKE - Oct. 17, 2006

 

LIMA — The Mexican and Hispanic community across the region is on the rise. With the growth in population, there is also a growing influence in the communities in which those of Hispanic descent reside.

 

There are a growing number of Mexican restaurants and grocery stores spread out across the region to serve this growing market. Latin music is becoming a part of pop culture through artists such as Carlos Santana, and different organizations to serve this diverse community are becoming an active part of communities.

 

With the growing numbers, however, came unforeseen and unwanted attention, including efforts by local law enforcement to focus on people without proper legal documentation of their immigration status.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31053

 

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Advocate: Hispanics 'just come here to survive'

BY ANDRES R. MARTINEZ - Oct. 17, 2006

 

LIMA — Amada Cooley made Wal-Mart an office of sorts for the work she does.  She finds herself wandering the aisles of the megastore at 5 a.m. sometimes, trying desperately to gain the confidence of Spanish-speakers.  “I work 24 hours a day,” she said at lunch a few weeks ago. “If they speak Spanish, I’ll help them.”

 

Cooley never imagined she’d help Hispanics navigate the legal and school systems by getting up at in the middle of the night to go to Wal-Mart.  When Cooley first moved to Lima, she said she felt like she was one of the few Hispanics in the area. Her husband had just accepted a job as a neurosurgeon in Lima, his hometown.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31054

 

From the 10/18/06 Lima News:

 

Struggling with the law

BY GREG SOWINSKI - Oct. 18, 2006

 

LIMA — Allen County Sheriff Dan Beck has been called a racist and other names for speaking out about illegal immigration issues.  He gained national attention earlier this year for voicing concerns about illegal immigrants in his county.  He expressed frustration given the little help Immigration and Customs Enforcement offered.  Still, he said he’s merely enforcing the laws already here.

 

“We ultimately are bumping into them every day we have our officers out there doing enforcement efforts,” he said. “They have the same problems as American citizens do. They speed, they have problems with heir vehicles, they have domestic violence (crimes).”

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31095

 

haha, oh the signs. you know, I've seen them. It is an interesting strategy, but a laughable one indeed.

Harboring illegals

Recent homicides spurring crime concerns in areas with growing immigrant population

BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

October 22, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - A growing number of suburban apartment complexes in the past six years have become havens for Hispanic immigrants, including some illegal immigrants.  Now, recent homicides in West Chester and Mason allegedly involving illegal immigrants have increased concerns about crime related to these enclaves and landlords who rent to illegals.  And that has community residents, property managers, police, politicians - even some legal immigrants - debating whether landlords should do more to avoid renting to non-citizens.

 

"The complex management should do more to keep illegals out," says Michelle Ramirez, 28, whose husband, Jesus, is from Mexico City. He is working here legally and has started the process of becoming a citizen.  Ramirez lives at the Trails of West Chester, where Jackelin Romero, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant, was fatally stabbed in September. Her husband, Melvin Ramon Mejia, 39, also an illegal immigrant according to police, faces a murder charge. He remains at large.   

 

Ramirez and other neighbors question how the couple was able to live there in the first place.  Similar questions have been raised about other apartment complexes in the area.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/NEWS01/610220362

CINCINNATI - A growing number of suburban apartment complexes in the past six years have become havens for Hispanic immigrants, including some illegal immigrants.

 

That is certainly the case in Montgomery County, too..it would apply to asian and african immigrants as well as latinos.

 

The Lima paper uptrhead did a good series on this, but interesting to see the Enquirer illegal<-->crime spin in their headline. 

 

Why doesn't Jones to this, instead of sending bill and putting up signs?

 

Because it costs gas and manhours to transport the illegals, and signs are cheaper and are good publicity for the sheriff (read: political grandstanding).

 

                                               

 

                 

More from the series...links contain more photos...from the 10/19/06 Lima News:

 

PHOTO: Pre-school teacher Marlene Griffith reads a children´s book to her students before lunch at the summer migrant school in Miller City, Ohio.  (Photo by Kelli Cardinal)

 

People voice thoughts on influx of Mexicans

BY HEATHER RUTZ - Oct. 19, 2006

 

LEIPSIC — The collages of senior class photos on the school walls show it. The neighborhoods show it. The faces you see downtown show it. Leipsic is an integrated community. The village has an estimated 30 percent Hispanic population, and most are second- and third-generation native to Leipsic, and third-, fourth- and fifth-generation Americans.

 

Victor Hernandez has lived in Leipsic since 1957. He was 7, and his family settled there after years of moving, 30 at a time, from west Texas to migrant camps around the country. He began kindergarten without a drop of English, fought his way through school and dropped out his senior year to help pay the bills, after his mother injured herself at work.

 

He’s now a grandfather and retired from General Motors, tinkering with a 1965 Impala in the garage. He met his wife because she lived behind a pizza place in Ottawa. They had five children together, and their youngest is a high school senior. Hernandez speaks Spanish, but his kids don’t. And he’s not sure what to think about the immigration debate raging in the nation today or immigrants coming to the country illegally.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31148

 

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From the 10/20/06 Lima News:

 

PHOTO: EsperanzaTores, of Leipsic, Ohio, holds her arms up to sing and worship during a Wednesday night service at Fuente de Vida in Leipsic.  (Photo by Kelli Cardinal)

 

Numerous churches throughout region reach out to Hispanics

BY DOMINIC ADAMS - Oct. 20, 2006

 

LEIPSIC — Several people kneel at old wooden pews with their backs to the altar. Faint sunlight shines through stained glass windows dancing on the backs of bowed Hispanic Christians, as the sound of people move to the corner of the altar where a piano, drum set and guitar sit.

 

Suddenly the church comes to life with roaring riffs and deafening drum beats as the band bangs out “Bendito ses el Nombre adios,” and the rest of the church sings along.  With an influx of Hispanics in the region, local churches reached out to provide religious and other services to the Spanish-speaking population.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=31171

 

From the 10/29/06 News-Herald:

 

City grapples with illegals

Immigration issue is a hot button in Painesville

By: Jamie Ward

[email protected]

 

Painesville City Council President William J. Horvath has sent countless letters to people and organizations on behalf of the city since taking the post three years ago.  But when Horvath sent a letter in February supporting Painesville's Hispanic community to U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, Horvath did not expect the uproar.

 

"I'm tired of being crucified," said Horvath, who is now at the center of a local illegal immigrant debate fueled by the national one.

 

The letter, which all seven City Council members received before it was sent, was written by Veronica Dahlberg, president of Hispanas Organizadas de Lake and Ashtabula, a Hispanic organization based in Painesville.  When Congress debated immigration legislation in Washington, Dahlberg requested Horvath speak on behalf of the local Hispanic community.

 

MORE: http://www.news-herald.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17392610&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=8