From the 11/2/06 Toledo Blade:

 

FORUM AT LOURDES COLLEGE

Illegal immigration inspires big debate

By CLYDE HUGHES

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The debate about illegal immigration brought a passionate exchange of thoughts among panelists during a forum yesterday at Sylvania's Lourdes College.

 

The panel discussion on immigration issues, sponsored by ElderVision for Lifelong Learning at Lourdes, focused on such subtopics as law enforcement, economics, social issues, and national security.

 

The panel, which included Allen County Sheriff Daniel Beck, Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, and Lucas County Recorder Anita Lopez, gave wide-ranging views from their own experiences.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEWS21/611020344/-1/NEWS

 

Fischer Homes charges dismissed

BY RYAN CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

November 16, 2006

 

COVINGTON - U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning dismissed federal immigration charges against Fischer Homes supervisors late Wednesday at the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBride, attorneys said.

 

McBride requested a continuance Wednesday of a trial scheduled for Nov. 27, citing the disappearance of a main witness, Nelson Trejo, a subcontractor who supplied workers to Fischer job sites.  When the judge declined the continuance - just as he had declined a continuance for the defense on Monday - McBride then requested the case be dismissed without prejudice.

 

Attorneys said that means the prosecution can bring the same charges against the same people at some date in the future.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/NEWS0103/611160406

From the 11/15/06 Middletown Journal:

 

Representative 'skeptical' about future of immigration bills

State Rep. Courney Combs: 'If it dies, it will be because of political correctness and state representatives who don't have the gumption to discuss the issue in committee and follow through on it.'

By Mary Lolli, Staff Writer

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

 

A proposed bill detailing measures to enforce illegal immigration laws in Ohio is in jeopardy of dying in committee.  But if state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, has his way a stronger version of the bill will be resurrected for consideration by the new Ohio General Assembly.

 

Combs on Tuesday said he is concerned that the bill, introduced before the House Judiciary Committee in September, will not get another hearing before year's end.  "If it dies, it will be because of political correctness and state representatives who don't have the gumption to discuss the issue in committee and follow through on it," Combs said.

 

The bill's author, House Assistant Majority Whip Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, assured Combs Tuesday that the committee will discuss the bill again.  The bill addresses some key immigration issues including requiring contractors to verify the legal status of employees and prohibiting persons who receive state grants or loans from hiring illegal immigrants.

 

MORE: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/15/mj111506immigration.html

 

Aside from his plan to introduce a tougher bill in 2007 should Seitz's bill die, Combs said he expects some citizens groups also might push for a constitutional amendment seeking tougher illegal immigration laws and enforcement measures.

 

"People are fed up with the lack of action on these issues," Combs said.

 

I agree....this is a key point

 

But it falls short of meeting goals established by local officials who initiated its creation because it doesn't 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.

 

The sheriffs are the one trying to do the enforcement, so give them the law they need.

 

 

Fake-ID operation busted

Thousands of documents, blank plastic cards seized

BY JANICE MORSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

December 9, 2006

 

HAMILTON - An illegal immigrant with guts - but maybe not smarts - unwittingly launched the investigation that produced Ohio's largest-ever fake-ID bust, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones said Friday.  Gregorio Cruz presented a doctored-up ID card to the sheriff's office, which is known for its anti-illegals stance.  "He came to really the wrong place," Jones said.

 

Cruz had to walk past the jail's "illegal immigrants here" sign when he visited the sheriff's headquarters Nov. 28 to ask officials to run a criminal background check on him.  A native of Mexico, Cruz wanted to be able to show a clean criminal record to a prospective employer.  But an alert clerk noticed something odd about Cruz's ID card.  Those concerns led to an investigation.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/NEWS01/612090338/1077/COL02

My solution for the "illegals" problem:

 

1) Grant amnesty with a six month deadline to file a tax return, $25 tax refund guaranteed.

2) Citizenship granted with refund check.

3) Failure to file taxes = deportation.

 

 

^I would vote for that in a minute.  Well, if it were combined with a sealed-up-tight border, or as sealed-up-tight as we could manage...and then following that up with drastically liberalized immigration laws - open the spigot up for a while, just make sure you know who's coming in and that they follow the rules...

 

This is getting VERY rediculous...can we get this guy out of his position please!?!?!??!  He is not only embarrasing the City of Hamilton, but also Butler County and the Cincinnati region as a whole.  What a wack!!!

 

Butler County gets fed approval to train for immigration arrests

ICE grant allows deputies to make immigration arrests

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

December 14, 2006

 

PHOTO: Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones had this sign put up by the main entrance to the sheriff's office and jail. Now that he's been given approval by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train to make immigration arrests, he's adding "not for long."

Enquirer file

 

HAMILTON - Butler County sheriff's deputies and corrections officers will be the first in the Midwest to receive federal training that will allow them to make immigration arrests and begin the deportation process.  Sheriff Richard Jones announced Wednesday that federal authorities have granted his August request for 10 employees to undergo five weeks of training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

 

Next, Butler County and ICE officials need to agree on each agency's role.  Once that's done, training will start next year.

 

Local authorities cannot enforce federal immigration laws. But once they complete the federal training, they can take action - as long as they work under the supervision and direction of ICE, not Jones, while making arrests.  That's OK with Jones.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/612140370/1056/COL02

I remember reading about this guy complaining that all the illegals, etc. were costing Butler County a gazillion dollars...now he has authority to actually enforce immigration laws...My guess is there is some federal $$$$ in the pipeline for the sheriff dept.

I remember reading about this guy complaining that all the illegals, etc. were costing Butler County a gazillion dollars...now he has authority to actually enforce immigration laws...My guess is there is some federal $$$$ in the pipeline for the sheriff dept.

 

Well then, Butler better start planning for next year's gazillion dollar budget surplus.

ACLU wary of profiling illegals

Butler sheriff, ICE will work together

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

December 15, 2006

 

HAMILTON - Concerned about racial profiling, the American Civil Liberties Union and a group of Butler County residents, ministers, social service agencies and others requested documents Thursday showing how federal immigration officials will give the Butler County Sheriff's Office authority to enforce immigration laws.

 

"Immigration law is hopelessly complex," said Carrie Davis, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Ohio in Cleveland. "Most local law enforcement are not granted authority to enforce immigration laws because they require a great deal of expertise and experience in order to effectively and fairly implement them."

 

Their requests come one day after Sheriff Rick Jones announced that 10 of his deputies and corrections officers will be the first in the Midwest to receive training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150353/1056/COL02

From the 12/1/06 Enquirer:

 

Immigrants plead not guilty

32 accused of lacking work permits

BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

COVINGTON - With interpreters at their side, 32 Hispanic immigrants pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges they were illegally working in the Northern Kentucky construction trade.

 

The 31 men and one woman appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wehrman after spending the night in the Boone County jail.

 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 13 of the immigrants Wednesday outside a Florence home improvement store where they reportedly congregated every morning looking for work.

 

The remaining immigrants were arrested simultaneously in parking lots surrounding the Ascent at Roebling's Bridge construction site near Third Street and Scott Boulevard.

 

MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20061201/NEWS0103/612010386

 

From the 12/3/06 PD:

 

Immigration enforcement stuns Cleveland families

Government no longer willing to ignore visa issues residents working and living here for years arrested

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Robert L. Smith

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Those who shared Hasan Bakia's secret knew he was living in America on borrowed time. But they expected a warning, some chance at redemption, before a bitter end.

 

The acclaimed geologist had earned his good-neighbor credentials after arriving from Albania in 1992. He found factory work, befriended seemingly half of Lakewood, and emerged as the leader of a growing Albanian immigrant community.

 

Still, he lacked a more crucial credential: a current visa. On the night of Nov. 7, federal immigration agents seized Bakia and his wife, Mirjana, as they left their car outside a relative's apartment in Lakewood. As the couple sit in jail awaiting deportation, astonished family and friends despair at the harshness of the action.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116513955329880.xml&coll=2

 

From the 12/8/06 DDN:

 

Callers complain to food pantry, homeless shelter about serving 'illegals'

By Carmen M. Hubbard and Denise Wilson

Staff Writers

Friday, December 08, 2006

 

HAMILTON — The anonymous phone calls began coming in regularly just as the holiday push to feed the hungry started.  The callers said they were watching the food pantry at Serve City on East Avenue, and that they had photos of Hispanic-looking people seeking aid.  Why, they demanded, were "illegals" being given food or assistance?

 

"We've had calls saying they had been taking pictures of Hispanics getting out of cars," said Linda Kimble, executive director of Serve City.  "We require identification but we are not going to refuse people for being Hispanic. That's racist. It's just an ugly environment."

 

The nonprofit agency houses the Lord's Cupboard food pantry and the Church Hospitality Emergency Shelter Network homeless shelter.  Services are for any needy person living in Butler County.  Kimble said the messages and phone calls coincided with Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones' push for local enforcement of immigration laws.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/07/ddn120806sheltercalls.html

 

From the 12/15/06 Enquirer:

 

Warren deputies may get ICE training, too

THE ENQUIRER

 

Warren County could follow Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones' lead in getting local deputies federal training so they can arrest illegal immigrants.  Warren County commissioners on Thursday said they will urge their own sheriff to follow Jones' lead.

 

Jones announced Wednesday that federal authorities granted his request for 10 employees to undergo five weeks of training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The training gives those deputies authority to arrest illegal immigrants, whereas before only ICE agents could.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150372/1056/COL02

 

---

From the 12/15/06 Fairfield Echo:

 

Three illegal immigrants indicted identity scheme

By Staff Report

Friday, December 15, 2006

 

The Butler County grand jury released a 67-count partial indictment late Thursday afternoon involving three illegal immigrants.  Gregorio Lopez-Cruz, Nicholas Juan-Santiago and Ernesto Escalante-Bartolonon are charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, forgery, identity fraud, tampering with records, and selling or distributing forged identification cards.

 

All three men are illegal residents residing in Butler County.  According to the Butler County Prosecutor's office, an illegal immigrant contacted the sheriff's office to request a routine background check.  Sheriff's deputies realized the residency documentation provided was fraudulent, which investigation led investigators to an identify-for-sale scheme.

 

MORE: http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/15/fe121506indictments.html

 

---

From the 12/14/06 Sun Messenger:

 

Police arrest six illegal immigrants, release them to INS

Thursday, December 14, 2006

 

Six men were arrested for illegal immigrant status within a three-day span last week.  On Friday, four of the men were stopped after they appeared to be stealing items from the automotive section at Walgreens, 2135 Warrensville Center Road. After a search of the men, no items were found, but they were found to be illegal aliens, police said.

 

On Sunday, the other two men were arrested after they were stopped in a car on Cedar Road.  Police said the men, ages 20 to 27, are all from Mexico and were living in the same house in University Heights.  They were picked up Tuesday by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/sunmessenger/index.ssf?/base/news-0/116611841933820.xml&coll=3

 

Restaurateur could be deported after conviction

BY DAN HORN | [email protected]

January 12, 2007

 

FAIRFIELD - The owner of Bee's Buffet in Fairfield pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to harboring an illegal alien who worked at his restaurant.  The plea means Jing Fei Jiang could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison or he could be deported at any time to China.

 

Jiang, 37, is in the country illegally but had been seeking asylum at the time of his arrest in June.  He claims he was a pro-democracy protester at Tiannanmen Square in 1989 and would be subject to imprisonment if sent back to China.

 

Jiang was arrested after federal prosecutors in Cincinnati accused him of inducing, transporting and harboring illegal aliens to work in his restaurant.  The government seized Jiang's business, his 2004 GMC Yukon XL and about $400,000 in cash.  Some of the money was stashed in a safe at his house, and the rest was in bank accounts and a safe deposit box.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120357/1056/COL02

Its not illegal immigration, but I thought I'd share this story...

 

New citizens welcomed

Eighty immigrants take oath in Delhi

BY CLIFF RADEL | [email protected]

January 17, 2007

 

DELHI TWP. - As St. Dominic's seventh- and eighth-grade choir sang "God Bless America," Grace Ajunwa closed her eyes and gently swayed to the music.  Tears glistened upon her ebony cheeks as she mouthed the words, "Land that I love."  Ten minutes later, Ajunwa pledged allegiance to the United States of America.

 

She became part of the American dream as she took the oath of citizenship during Tuesday afternoon's naturalization ceremony held in the school's O'Connor Hall, as part of a special session of U.S. District Court, Magistrate Judge Timothy Hogan presiding.

 

Ajunwa, a Loveland resident, the owner of a cleaning service and a native of Nigeria, explained why she became a citizen.  "My kids were born here," she said. "They keep asking me when I'm going to become a citizen. "I always tell them, 'Someday.' Well, today's 'someday.' "

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070117/NEWS01/701170339/1077/COL02

Well, its fine when the immigrants are washing your dishes and tending to your lawns...but the first time a bad apple pops out its all of a sudden "lets deport all of them!"

 

Mason to study immigration

Outcry over Barnhill's murder spurred council's action

BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected]

January 23, 2007

 

MASON - City Council here agreed Monday to let its safety committee investigate if the city can create local ordinances to crack down on illegal immigration.  At the same time, the city Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office announced they may seek federal immigration training for their officers.

 

The moves come about five months after Mason resident Kevin Barnhill, 27, was stabbed to death outside a Mason bar, allegedly at the hands of at least one illegal immigrant.  It was the city's first homicide since 2000.  Barnhill's father, William Barnhill, helped found Citizens for Legal Communities, a Warren County group seeking to strengthen local immigration enforcement.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS01/701230348/1077/COL02

From the 12/20/06 PD:

 

Lakewood immigrants deported

Albanian couple had sought to stay

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Robert L. Smith

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

A Lakewood couple who became leaders in the region's growing Albanian immigrant community were deported to Albania, ending weeks of effort by family and friends to secure their stay in America.  Hasan Bakia, founder and president of the Albanian American Association of Cleveland, and his wife, Mirjana, were put on a commercial flight to Albania from Detroit Thursday and arrived Friday in the capital city of Tirana, their son said.

 

Alban Bakia expressed despair at the failure to win his parents a second chance, but also some relief. They had been jailed since their arrest Nov. 7 and were without prescription medicine for medical problems.  "It's sad. I don't think we were given a chance," he said.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1166607310238010.xml&coll=2

 

From ThisWeek Licking County, 12/24/06:

 

Heath weighs options on illegal immigrants

Sunday, December 24, 2006

By LORI WINCE

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Heath police Chief Tony Shepherd wants the city to give him a stronger hand in dealing with illegal immigrants.  "Our officers come into contact with illegal immigrants on a regular basis," Shepherd told members of Heath City Council's safety committee Dec. 11.

 

"The only enforcement action available to us," his report said, "is to arrest for the crime committed. Most often our contact is from a traffic violation, and an arrest is made for no driver's license. They drive unlicensed and uninsured but are able to purchase vehicles."

 

Shepherd brought up the issue in the wake of the recent stabbing incident at a restaurant. The two employees injured in the incident were illegal immigrants, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=lickingcounty&story=sites/thisweeknews/122406/LickingCounty/News/122406-News-283956.html

 

From the 12/29/06 Blade:

 

2 illegal immigrants working at Penta project

Pair discovered during traffic stop in Rossford

By JOE VARDON

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Two illegal immigrants who were doing roofing work at the Penta Career Center's new campus construction site were picked up by Rossford police yesterday during a routine traffic stop, authorities said.

 

The two men were arraigned in Perrysburg Municipal Court yesterday and are being held in lieu of $10,000 bonds at the Wood County jail. According to Penta, both work for Quality Roofing in Ann Arbor.

 

Ricardo Delatorre-Covian, 27, was charged with failure to stop and driving with a suspended license. Miguel Martinez, 27, was charged with a failure to stop and driving without a license.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/NEWS03/612290396/-1/NEWS

 

From the 12/30/06 Blade:

 

Illegal immigrants at Penta Career site convicted

BLADE STAFF

 

Perrysburg Municipal Court Magistrate James Schaller today sentenced two men believed to be illegal aliens to 90 days in jail for traffic violations and then suspended their sentences.

 

Miguel Martinez, 27, and Ricardo Delatorre-Covian, 27, both pleaded guilty to driving without a valid operator’s licenses. Mr. Delatorre-Covian also pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to stop, while the same charge was dropped against Mr. Martinez.

 

One of the two men, who were working at the construction site for the new Penta Career Center, reportedly admitted to police the pair were in the U.S. illegally. Both men will continue to be held at the Wood County Jail until they can be interviewed by the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which might not occur until next week.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/NEWS03/61229019/-1/NEWS

 

From the 1/4/07 DDN:

 

Kilburn: CLC can count on Warren County's support

Commissioner says county will ensure that Sheriff Tom Ariss can enforce immigration laws.

By Linda Scott

Contributing Writer

 

Citizens for Legal Communities can count on Warren County Commissioner Mike Kilburn's support.  "Anyway I or the board of commissioners can support this group, I'm sure we'd be happy to do so. I will and I'm sure (commissioners) Pat (South) and Dave (Young) will, too," Kilburn said.

 

"We are going to adopt a resolution requesting or demanding that (Warren County Sheriff) Tom Ariss develop the same program as Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones so he can enforce immigration laws in Warren County," Kilburn said. "If he does that, then all the other cities in the county won't have to do it because if our county sheriff gets the same status as sheriff Jones has, then our people can go to these cities and arrest (illegal immigrants) and the cities won't have to."

 

As for laws penalizing landlords and employers who house or hire illegal immigrants, Kilburn said there are already federal laws in place addressing the matter.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/community/content/localnews/neighbors/warren/2007/01/04/ddn010407clc2.html

 

---

From the 1/4/07 Cincinnati Post:

 

Immigrant workers probe not over

Feds want more time in homebuilder case

By Paul A. Long

Post staff reporter

 

So they can continue to investigate the use of illegal immigrant workers in Northern Kentucky's home-building industry, federal prosecutors have secured delays in the sentencing of a number of contractors who pleaded guilty in the probe.  "They're still investigating and pursuing Fischer (Homes)," said Michael Bouldin, an attorney for one of the contractors.

 

In May, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided several Fischer Homes building sites in Boone County, rounding up nearly 100 people.  Most were illegal immigrants from Mexico or Central America, but at least a dozen were contractors who provided workers for the construction of the homes.

 

Also arrested were four supervisors from Fischer Homes.  A fifth supervisor was subsequently indicted, but the charges against all five were eventually dropped after the key witnesses against them fled the country.  The company has not been charged, and its officials deny they knew of any illegal immigrants working for it.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS01/701040373

 

From the 1/13/07 Cincinnati Post:

 

Fischer federal case dealt blow

By Paul A. Long

Post staff reporter

 

A federal grand jury has indicted a Mexican national who jumped bond, devastating the government's case against five Fischer Homes employees charged with shielding illegal immigrants.  Meeting late Friday evening in Covington, the grand jury indicted Nelson Trejo on a charge of failing to appear at his sentencing hearing.  U.S. District Judge David Bunning immediately signed a warrant for Trejo's arrest on the new charge, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

 

Trejo earlier had cut a deal with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of harboring illegal immigrants and agreed to cooperate with agents investigating the home building industry in Northern Kentucky.  Specifically, he admitted that he had provided crews of illegal immigrants to frame houses for Fischer Homes.  Five supervisors for the company were charged with conspiring to harbor the illegal immigrants by providing them jobs.  The indictment against them said they hired Trejo's men.

 

But a few days before their scheduled trial on Nov. 27, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob McBride sought a delay in the trial, saying Trejo, his key witness, was missing.  Bunning refused to grant the delay and instead dismissed the charges after McBride said he could not proceed without Trejo.  The charges may be refilled.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/NEWS02/701130325/1014/NEWS02

 

From the 1/15/07 Enquirer:

 

Immigrants press courts for interpreters

BY JANICE MORSE | [email protected]

 

Court lingo can seem foreign even to people who have spoken English all their lives.  So understanding legal jargon is nearly impossible for people with little English experience - especially when they nervously face a black-robed judge in an intimidating courtroom.

 

"They stand there, nodding their heads ('yes') when they don't understand a thing that's going on. They're scared," says Roxana Hazlett, a Spanish interpreter who owns Springfield Township-based Translations Unlimited.  "It's one thing to be able to order a Big Mac and french fries. It's another thing to know your rights in a courtroom and understand judges and lawyers and laws."

 

Courts have long provided interpreters to non-English-speaking people.  But as the immigrant population rises in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, several courts have been forced to take other steps - and spend a lot more money - to handle the flow.

 

MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070115/NEWS01/701150365

 

This guy is cracked out...there is no other way to put it.

 

Sheriff Jones to D.C.: Close the borders

LAUREN PACK / [email protected]

February 19, 2007

 

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones spent the last week of January in the nation's capital, doing what he loves to do and does best — stirring the pot.

 

Jones spent five days in Washington, D.C., participating in the National Sheriff's Association committee meetings as a member of committees addressing drugs, court security and immigration — a subject near and dear to Jones' law enforcement agenda.

 

The sheriff is an outspoken advocate for immigration policy reform, a hot-button issue in the nation, and he said people helping frame a new immigration reform law got an earful from the 12 sheriffs serving on the committee.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/18/hjn021907jonesdc.html

^I wonder what his gardener, nanny and wife's lover think of all his rhetoric.

Hispanics complain fear hurts their stores

Butler deputies to train for immigration powers

BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected]

February 27, 2007

 

HAMILTON - Hispanic store owners in this Butler County city say the sheriff's outspoken stance against illegal immigration here hurts business and drives people - legal and illegal - out of town.

 

"People feel the sheriff is profiling, so they don't want to come to Hamilton," said Neptali Roblero, owner of El Valle Verde restaurant on Dixie Highway.

 

Their comments come as Sheriff Richard Jones might be weeks away from sending deputies to receive federal immigration training, allowing them to make immigration arrests and begin the deportation process.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS01/702270398/1056/COL02

Man fined $12M for hiring illegals

Company president also sentenced to 15 months in jail

BY DAN HORN | [email protected]

March 2, 2007

 

WILMINGTON - The president of a company that employed hundreds of illegal immigrants in Wilmington, Ohio, must spend 15 months in prison and pay $12 million to the government - the largest forfeiture ever ordered in an illegal labor case.

 

Maximino Garcia pleaded guilty last year to participating in a conspiracy involving more than 900 illegal immigrants who worked for his temporary labor companies, Garcia Labor Company Inc. and Garcia Labor Company of Ohio. U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel imposed the sentence Thursday.

 

Federal prosecutors say Garcia, 42, hired Hispanic workers who used invalid Social Security numbers and provided them with transportation and housing in apartment buildings he owned.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/NEWS01/703020362

All I can do is shake my head

 

Sheriff has a bill for Mexico

Says its citizens bring in large amounts of illegal drugs

BY JANICE MORSE | [email protected]

March 6, 2007

 

HAMILTON - The Butler County sheriff is trying to become an international bill collector.

 

Already known for sending invoices to the U.S. government for jailing illegal aliens in Butler County, Sheriff Rick Jones says he's going to start sending bills to the Mexican government, too, seeking compensation for illegal drug traffickers coming from Mexico into Butler County.

 

Jones on Monday had assigned his administrative assistant to type a letter to Mexican President Felipe Calderón. The letter will demand reimbursement for man-hours spent busting drug dealers from Mexico, Jones said. Costs were still being figured, but Jones estimated them at $75 to $100 per hour.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS01/703060412/1056/COL02

Can illegals be denied birth papers?

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

 

LEBANON – Illegal immigrants in Warren County may not be given birth certificates for their children born here if one commissioner has his way.  Commissioner Dave Young plans to discuss his thoughts at today’s 5 p.m., commission meeting.  It would be part of a discussion initiated by Citizens for Legal Communities, a group that wants local governments to adopt laws making it illegal for anyone to rent to or hire undocumented workers.

 

Young says he wants to challenge the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the country.  He is researching the possibility of instructing the Warren County Health Department to refuse to issue full birth certificates to children of illegal immigrants.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070308/NEWS01/303080049

 

I move that we deport Commissioner Young.

 

Jackass.

Well hell if the citizens of Lebanon are behind it then it must be a solid movement....I'm sure the people of Monroe aren't far behind!

 

Anti-immigrant group on crusade

Warren Co. officials sympathetic, but unsure what to do

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

March 9, 2007

 

LEBANON - A citizens group that wants to get tough with illegal immigrants got a show of support Thursday, but officials continue to grapple with what can be done.  Citizens for Legal Communities brought its message to Warren County commissioners and asked for support for the group's measures.

 

The group has been bringing its platform to governments throughout the county.  It was formed last summer after Mason resident Kevin Barnhill was stabbed to death, allegedly by an illegal immigrant.  Since then, the group, led by William Barnhill, Kevin's father, has gathered statistics on the number of illegal aliens, crimes they commit and other matters.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS01/703090402/1056/COL02

I'm anti-immigrant, too. After all: look what they did to the indians.

The topic will be brought up again Monday during a 7 p.m. panel discussion on immigration at the Wise Center, 8329 Ridge Road, Amberley Village.

 

What?  Is this the same group from Warren County now crusading in Hamilton Co?

From the 1/25/07 Dispatch:

 

* PHOTO: Four-year-old Felix Lemus Jr. runs in the snow near the mobile home his father is expanding to provide extra living space for his family. 

* PHOTO: A mobile home features an addition and a makeshift wall at Mann's Mobile Home Estates near Port Columbus. The park's owners say many properties have undergone changes without permits or inspections. The family that lives here declined to have its photo taken. 

* MAP

 

ADDITIONS WITHOUT PERMITS

Owners add on; city takes notice

Inspections at mobile home park partly hampered by language barrier

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Sherri Williams and Stephanie Czekalinski

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

 

The home where Felix Lemus Jr. lives looks like any house that?s undergoing a major renovation.  His father built a new roof to cover the one that leaked and decided to add a room to accommodate his growing family.  Felix, 4, has two sisters.  But the exterior wood walls remain unfinished.  City officials are unsure the elaborate addition is legal. The question surrounds what the Lemus family calls home - a single-wide trailer.

 

Their trailer, which appears cocooned inside a houselike structure, isn't the only one in Mann's Mobile Home Estates on Stelzer Road that has officials pondering whether residents needed permits for the work, and who in government should have issued them.  Now the residents, most of them Mexican immigrants, are worried they might have to tear down what they built, or won't be able to expand their modest abodes.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/01/25/20070125-D1-02.html

 

From the 1/29/07 Dispatch;

 

* PHOTO: Juvenal Barajas was deported to Mexico last week. 

* PHOTO: Christina Godoy, top, is disillusioned with the immigration process after her husband, Juvenal Barajas, was deported. With her in Gahanna are, from left, son Corey, 14; son-in-law Chris Haberling, 9-month-old Kaden and daughter Jessica; and daughter Veronica. Barajas is stepfather to the children. 

* PHOTO: "I love Juvenal please let him stay. He is my favorite uncle," a 6-year-old stepnephew wrote of Juvenal Barajas. Friends, his employer and school and church officials also have written letters to the government in support of Barajas.

 

Almost legal

Near the end of visa quest, Mexican immigrant is arrested and forced to leave his American family behind in Gahanna

Monday, January 29, 2007

Kelly Lecker

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Juvenal Barajas was tired of looking over his shoulder. He had a 13-year marriage to an American woman and had raised five stepchildren. He had a steady job at a Westerville drywall company. He paid taxes and had joined a church.

 

But Barajas knew his American dream could end at any time, because he had come here illegally from Mexico as a teenager. It didn?t make him shy away from life, and immigration officials never came looking for him, yet his status still made him uneasy.

 

"He hated the fact that he was illegal," said his wife, Christina Godoy. "He was tired of driving without a license, tired of being illegal. He wanted to do what is right."

 

Barajas, 35, applied for a visa for spouses of American citizens. For two years, he waded through the application process as his case was closed, reopened and transferred among immigration offices. He showed officials family photos and marriage documents.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/01/29/20070129-A1-00.html

 

From the 2/8/07 Dispatch:

 

Suburb drops illegal-immigrant talk

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Jim Woods

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Reynoldsburg Councilman Brett Baxter, who wants to be the city's next mayor, raised the issue of what the city should do about illegal immigrants.  His fellow council members told him they want no part of that issue.  Let the federal government deal with immigrants, they said, because Reynoldsburg has plenty of local challenges.

 

Baxter listed the issue - "illegal aliens in the city of Reynoldsburg" - on the agenda of Monday's Safety Committee meeting.  At the meeting's start, Baxter said he wants to reduce the number of calls handled by an understaffed police department.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/02/08/20070208-B4-01.html

 

From the 2/16/07 DDN:

 

Mayor to review laws penalizing employers of illegal immigrants

Dayton Daily News

Friday, February 16, 2007

 

SPRINGBORO — Mayor John Agenbroad said the city's law director would review proposed local laws penalizing landlords and employers of illegal immigrants.  Agennbroad said he supported the city doing "whatever we can do" after a presentation Thursday by Citizens for Legal Communities.

 

The group was formed after the stabbing death of Kevin C. Barnhill, 27, of Mason on Aug. 26, 2006, outside the Mason Pub.  Four Mexican men living and working in the area although apparently lacking a Social Security number, American citizenship or any legal basis for U.S. employment, have been charged with murdering Barnhill, a former sports star at Little Miami High School.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/16/ddn021607immigrants.html

 

From the 2/28/07 Lima News:

 

Rep. Gillmor Introduces bill to EARN Freedom

EARN Act provides legal status to deserving illegal immigrant children

VanWertVoice.com Contributor Content | - 02.28.2007

 

VAN WERT - For more than a year, Fifth District Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-Tiffin) has been following the immigration debate closely.  His interest has been driven not only by the national discussion regarding reforming the immigration system but by the regular immigration cases in which his office intercedes every year.  Among the many examples of what Gillmor calls a "callous immigration system" was the case of Manuel Bartsch, a young constituent in Gillmor's own district who had been caught up in the fight.  Today, Gillmor introduced the Education Access for Rightful Noncitizens Act (the EARN Act) to correct the system for thousands of undocumented immigrants.

 

MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35752

 

From the 3/5/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

2 suspected illegals face fake ID, prostitution charges

By Lauren Pack

Staff Writer

Monday, March 05, 2007

 

HAMILTON — A joint undercover operation has resulted in the arrests of a man and woman — both illegal aliens — for making fraudulent identification cards and bringing prostitutes to Butler County, officials said Monday.

 

Fausto David Bartolon-Perez, 29, of Highland Greens Apartments in West Chester Twp., was arrested by Butler County sheriff's deputies and West Chester Twp. police Friday. He is charged with six counts of forgery and one count of promoting prostitution, according to the sheriff's office.

 

At the same time, Laura Ramirez-Perez, 44, also of the West Chester apartment complex, was arrested for prostitution, officials said. Deputies said she is just one of many — including perhaps one minor — brought to the county for prostitution.

 

MORE: http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/05/hjn030607fraud.html

 

From the 3/9/07 St. Mary's Evening Leader:

 

Traffic stop nets alleged illegals     

By KAY LOUTH

Staff Writer

 

ST. MARYS — On Friday, an afternoon traffic stop netted three allegedly illegal aliens, Daniel Santos, 23, Hugo De La Cruz, 23, and Ernesto Calderon Diaz, 24, all from Sidney. According to Foxhoven, all three men had forged identifications and are charged with forged documents, which is a felony.

 

They are currently incarcerated at the Auglaize County jail, each being held under a $100,000, 10 percent cash bond. The three men spoke limited English and Hector Hernandez, a St. Marys firefighter, helped police with interpretations.

 

MORE: http://www.theeveningleader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3591

 

From the 3/11/07 DDN:

 

Foes of illegal immigration find support

Commissioners promise support for residents who want stricter enforcement in Warren County.

By Tiffany Y. Latta

Staff Writer

Sunday, March 11, 2007

 

LEBANON — — Armed with statistics and news clips showing what they said is the negative effect of illegal immigrants, a group of Warren County residents persuaded more local government leaders last week to fight for stronger enforcement of federal immigration laws.

 

Many questions about how much the local officials can or should do — including a Warren County commissioner's plan to deny birth certificates to the children of illegal immigrants — remain unanswered, however. Nonetheless, county commissioners encouraged the residents to continue their pressure on local elected officials.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/10/ddn031107immigrants.html

 

From the 3/13/07 Greenville Daily Advocate:

 

Migrant workers meet agricultural needs

By Tammy Obeidallah

 

"Legal or illegal - it doesn't matter. People just don't want them around," Darke County Commissioner Terry Haworth said of local migrant workers.  The nationwide debate regarding immigration has become increasingly relevant in Darke County.  In Union City, for example, Hispanics now comprise nearly five percent of the population.

 

Commissioner Robert Downing, owner of Downing Fruit Farm near New Madison, ensures that all the hired help have proper documentation to work in the United States.  "When it's time to harvest fruit, you either get it in or you lose it," Downing stated.  According to Downing, Mexican migrant laborers are consistent and reliable.

 

MORE: http://www.dailyadvocate.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=123389&TM=47490.64

 

From the 4/10/07 Martins Ferry Times Leader:

 

Four aliens are arrested in Bellaire

By MICHAEL SCHULER, Times Leader Staff Writer

 

A GROUP of Mexicans who were working on a building in Bellaire were arrested Monday after it was learned they were in the country illegally.  The arrests came around 1:24 p.m. after village officials were notified that their was a group of men installing a roof on a building at 3228 Monroe St.

 

At that time, village Code Enforcer Mike Clark, along with deputy Code Enforcer Russ Burkhart, went to the site after receiving a complaint that the workers did not have building permits or a contractor’s license.  However, once at the scene none of the men working at the site, six in total, could speak English.

 

According to Bellaire Police Chief Michael P. Kovalyk, Officer Rusty Cunningham then went to the residence where the six men were working, but when he asked them for identification, only two of the men had driver’s licenses.  Kovalyk, along with Cunningham, then transported the four men to the police station and Village Administrator Rebecca Zwack was contacted to interpret for the suspects and the police.

 

MORE: http://timesleaderonline.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=6821

 

From the 4/12/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

Deerfield could make a stand against illegal immigration

Thursday, April 12, 2007

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

 

Deerfield Twp. may be the first Warren County government to take a progressive step toward addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

 

Township Trustee Chris Romano has proposed legislation that would require vendors — the township deals with approximately 100 outside contractors — to sign an affidavit vowing that they do not employ illegal immigrants. Romano says he likes to lead by example.

 

If the township discovers one of its vendors has not been honest, the punishment will be the loss of the business relationship. The board will likely vote on the legislation at its meeting Tuesday evening.

 

MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/12/pjl041207immigrationweb.html

 

From the 4/18/07 Enquirer:

 

Man gets 6 years in big fake ID case

BY JANICE MORSE | [email protected]

 

HAMILTON – A native of Guatemala faces deportation after he serves a six-year Ohio prison term for making fake IDs for other illegal immigrants’ use in the state’s largest-ever fake document bust, authorities said today.

 

This morning, Butler County Common Pleas Judge Craig Hedric sentenced Ernesto Escalante-Bartolon, 29, to six years in prison. Escalante-Bartolon had pleaded guilty to 10 of the 42 felonies he had originally faced, said Dan Ferguson, an assistant prosecutor.

 

Escalante-Bartolon admitted to six counts of forgery, three counts of tampering with government documents and a count of ID fraud, Ferguson said.  Bartolon’s lawyer, Brad Kraemer, said, “He’s got several young children and a wife who are here legally, and now, unfortunately, they will be without their dad.”

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/304180016/-1/rss

 

From the 4/19/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

Deerfield Twp.: No deal for illegals

Township votes to suspend contracts with vendors who employ illegal immigrants.

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

Thursday, April 19, 2007

 

Applause punctuated a unanimous vote Tuesday by the Deerfield Board of Trustees to address the issue of illegal immigration.  The township is the first Warren County community to take official action on the issue — and it chose to hit the pocketbooks of vendors it deals with to do it.

 

Township Trustee Chris Romano proposed legislation that would require a vendor — the township deals with approximately 100 outside contractors — to sign an affidavit vowing that the company does not employ illegal immigrants.  Romano said he likes to lead by example.

 

MORE: http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/19/pjm041907immigrationA1.html

 

From the 4/25/07 Fairfield Echo:

 

Butler County sheriff meets with ICE leaders

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

 

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones met Monday in Washington, D.C. with Immigration and Customs Enforcement administrators.  Jones said discussion included the sheriff's office pending "287-g" immigration powers, some on-going pending local investigations, and other topics of mutual interest at the federal and local levels.

 

Jones has been vocal in his opinions on illegal immigration and the need for more enforcement at both the federal and local levels.  "I appreciate having had this opportunity to meet directly with some people in Washington who can have a direct impact on where immigration issues are going," he said. "We need help here in the Heartland, and it appears the federal government is beginning to listen."

 

MORE: http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/24/hjn042507sheriffbrief.html

 

---

From the 4/25/07 Mansfield News Journal:

 

3 illegal immigrants subcontracted for work at local church

By Linda Martz

News Journal

 

MANSFIELD -- Richland County sheriff's deputies say they were told they might find as many as 15 to 18 Mexicans without visas working at Clear Fork Valley Wesleyan Church at 160 Woodruff Road.  When Capt. N. J. Baker went to the construction site Friday afternoon, he found four men finishing a drywall project.  Three admitted to being in the country illegally and are now in federal custody.

 

The three, had been held in the Richland County jail, were handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday.  A spokesman for the Detroit office of ICE said he did not know where Jesus Martinez, 27; Miguel Trejo, 33; and Alejandro Olguin, 20, were taken.

 

MORE: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/NEWS01/704250319/1002/rss01

 

Link contains a photo.  From the 5/1/07 Dispatch:

 

Reynoldsburg housing arrangement

Mexicans here to work face scrutiny by city, neighbors

Tuesday,  May 1, 2007 3:33 AM

By Stephanie Czekalinski and Jim Woods

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

They paid about $910 each, were tested for drugs and checked for a criminal past. Then they endured a 42-hour bus ride from Monterrey to Columbus. All for landscaping jobs that pay $8.60 an hour.

 

It's an opportunity the Mexican men welcome. They are here legally under a federal program that provides short-term visas to semiskilled and unskilled workers. They will return home by year's end, after completing their jobs with Five Seasons Landscaping.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/01/reymex.ART_ART_05-01-07_A1_2S6I6LF.html