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Zero Tolerance In Del Rio

Article By Writer Michael Kraft Author: Michael Kraft
Published: July 14, 2007
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Related: Immigration Crime Illegal Immigrants

Newsmax printed this insight to a story Glenn Beck covered just tonight on his show.

In Texas someone realized that if you are caught breaking a US law, you should then goto jail. This seems like common sense, but not in the PC world of catching criminal aliens crossing our border.

We thank Glenn Beck for bringing this success story to deporting illegals back to light from this initial report in 2006.

“Standing in a cramped federal courtroom last month, illegal immigrant Walter Oscar Portillo-Machado pleaded with a judge for mercy. But he came to the wrong place for that. ”

“The Salvadoran man was caught along a 210-mile stretch of the Texas-Mexico border that has been set up as zero-tolerance zone for illegal immigration. Instead of merely getting sent back home, immigrants here are arrested, prosecuted, and sometimes sentenced to prison before they are formally kicked out of the country. ”

“While other border sectors avoided strict enforcement because they did not have enough jail space or prosecutors, authorities in the Del Rio area found bed space elsewhere in the region, assigned federal agents to help prosecute cases and began running illegal immigrants through a courtroom at a rate of one case per minute. ”

“There’s nothing we’re doing that wasn’t already on the books,” said Hilario Leal Jr., a supervisory Border Patrol agent in the Del Rio sector. “It’s nothing new. We just started enforcing the law.”

“The Del Rio sector also ended the widespread practice of “catch-and-release” that freed most non-Mexican immigrants with a piece of paper ordering them to show up in federal immigration court a month later - and almost no one did. ”

“Most Mexican citizens with no criminal record who cross outside the Del Rio sector are still escorted back shortly after their arrest. Those from other countries are held in a detention center - not as criminals serving time - while the paperwork is being completed to return them to their home countries.

But in the Del Rio sector, every adult illegal immigrant, regardless of their home country, is criminally prosecuted and removed from the country after they have served his sentence. ”

“They know if they come (to Del Rio) they arent going home, they are going to jail,” Leal said.

Before the effort began, illegal immigrants came across the river near Del Rio in droves, with Central and South American citizens often surrendering to agents because they knew they would be let go - after receiving food, water, medical care and sometimes a ride to a bus station, along with their notice to appear in court.

In recent years, the situation had become so hectic that Del Rio sector agents were lucky if they patrolled the border for two hours during an eight or 10-hour shift, Agent Cynthia Bilyk said. The rest of their time was spent processing the immigrants.

Agents in the sector were averaging about 500 arrests a day, Leal said. Now there are fewer than 100 daily arrests, and the reforms are credited with reducing arrests by about 29 percent so far this fiscal year.

“The day Portillo-Machado stood shackled and handcuffed in the courtroom, he was surrounded by more than 30 defendants facing the same charge. The judge handled about one guilty plea a minute. ”

When his name was called, Portillo-Machado said “Cupable,” which means guilty in Spanish. He then asked the judge for forgiveness and was later sentenced to 120 days in jail.

Court staff said the day’s docket was light in comparison with the average crowd of would-be immigrants that often overflows the courtroom.”

Imagine that, putting criminals in jail and now you have less criminals?
So how exactly was giving amnesty (the opposite) supposed to help the problem?

The fact is that offering reward is exactly what pro-illegal groups claim, we do now. It is said that our jobs draw illegals here, so isn’t it safe to assume that offering likely citizenship will just compound this effect of temptation? I for one hope Del Rio begins a trend of enforcing American laws.

As was later pointed out by one of our readers, the excerpts used here are attributed to the work of Alicia Caldwell and not to the publication on newsmax in 2006.

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17 Responses to “Zero Tolerance In Del Rio”

Paul the American on July 15th, 2007 9:01 am

Enforcment of the immigarion laws has caused a shortage of illegal immigrant workers that used to harvest crops. One or two states have been using prison inmates as the new workforce for these fields. The farmers pay about $9 per hour and the inmates make about $4 per hour. Texas should use these new inmates as field workers but not even pay them the $4. Work them hard then send them back home.
Mamaloki on July 15th, 2007 1:39 pm

Finally, someone is enforcing the federal laws! Go Fig!!!

Why then can’t Farmer’s Branch enforce the law without the ACLU and LULAC, after agreeing to a vote by the citizens, going to the Federal Courts where they just happened to find a sympathetic judge?

If the Feds aren’t going to enforce the laws, the City should have the right to enforce them.
BurningAtlanta on July 15th, 2007 2:45 pm

Woo-Hoo. I’ve heard about this before but thought they were cutting back, couldn’t handle the flow. This should be the system along the entire US border. Enforcement works.
Benjamin Martin on July 15th, 2007 2:47 pm

Del Rio is doing a great job, now the rest of the border should follow suit. The audacity of the illegal alien criminals invading our country defies belief. There first act by coming here is a criminal one, and then they cry like babies when they get caught. Hasta La Vista criminals!
Randy on July 15th, 2007 4:09 pm

This is good news. I wish our Goverment would listen to the people and do more..
June on July 15th, 2007 6:28 pm

Hooray for Del Rio! If all states followed the laws already on the books, we’d stop the invasion - and that what it is. I wish our pro-illegal President and his followers would, at least, state the correct number. It’s been “12,000″ since GWB took office, and they’ve come by the millions every since.
I thought long ago of using prisoners, so I’m glad to see that happening. The bleeding hearts say this country would collapse if we didn’t have illegals. I doubt that. We have always been a “can do” country until Bush took over. Now we can’t deport, we can’t build a fence, we can’t stop the anchor baby fiasco, etc. So What has he done to protect us from these criminals. Nothing. Let’s get Tancredo or Ron Paul in and get rid of these parasites.
June on July 15th, 2007 6:30 pm

Sorry, I meant 12 million instead of 12 thousand.
Irene on July 15th, 2007 8:50 pm

Good job!!! Now all other towns, cities, etc. which have all been invaded by the illegal aliens need to follow suit and in time these illegals will finally realize that we are serious about enforcement. We can make liars out of all the pro amnesty supporters who say we cannot solve this situation and we must “legalize” them. Enforcement works and we also need to hold employers accountable for hiring illegals.
Bobby on July 15th, 2007 11:14 pm

I recently read that some illegal aliens feel betrayed because they could not get legal status when amnesty fell through.

Well, the way to get legal status is to go home to your home country and apply for legal status to the United States of America. That is what thousands or millions of honest lawabiding people are doing.

P.S. Don’t tell this to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or Hillary Clinton or any other lawsless Democrat.
Jeffersonian on July 16th, 2007 11:08 am

At last someone willing to do what they are paid to do….enforce the law.

Now impeach bush and toss every memeber of congress who tried to ram that amnesty bill down our throats and maybe, just maybe, we can get control of the rest of the border and deport the millions of criminals destroying the soveriegnty of this country.
Mamaloki on July 16th, 2007 11:28 am

I just heard on the morning news, ABC channel 8 in Dallas, that another large store is going to accept pesos!!!! Why don’t these Corporations realize that they are only increasing the problem? Because its big business, after all the peso, vs USD. isn’t worth as much. “The Family Dollar” stores should all be boycotted or at least have the guts Del Rio has.

I’m literally tired of seeing so many hispanics that can’t read or speak English. And we cater to them, ever ask WHY? It’s not like they’d let us use USD if we go to Mexico or S. America, no we have to convert our dollars to Pesos.

I don’t mind Legals, its the Illegals I’m against. Not only in TX, but in CA where they get free medical, food, shelter, education, and small business loans, all on our tax dollars. And don’t forget the wet foot/dry foot in FL.

WE NEED THAT WALL!!! All law enforcement officials should be required to ask for citizenship papers reguardless…. No need to stop ‘em for speeding, stop ‘em for papers.

The Passport Department is overwhelmed, 13-16 wks backlog, and I can give you several reasons why. Have you applied yet? Have they told you they have already issued a passport in your name? What can you do about it? NOTHING! Money out of your pocket to prove who you are, but nothing out of the pocket of the their that took your idenity!

We need more citys like Del Rio and Farmer’s Branch who are at least trying to do the right thing. Don’t even consider Irving will do the same, they have a Hispanic Mayor, and are building the 1st all hispanic Police Academy. Wanna bet that proof of citizenship doesn’t matter.
BlueEyedAnglo on July 18th, 2007 5:40 pm

“Agents in the sector were averaging about 500 arrests a day, Leal said. Now there are fewer than 100 daily arrests, and the reforms are credited with reducing arrests by about 29 percent so far this fiscal year.”

Obviously policing the border works. Way to go Del Rio! Now if the traitors in D.C. would get a clue and stop pandering, maybe we could put in end to this nonsense.

To Paul the American: loved your idea. Make them earn those 3 squares and the bed they get to occupy while in the slammer!
Ned on July 21st, 2007 2:47 am

This is a great article with a great message. Too bad Mr. Kraft is completely plagarizing it. This article was written by A.P. writer, Alicia Caldwell, almost a year ago. Here’s a web address where you can view the ORIGINAL article (if you don’t believe me): http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/24/ap/national/mainD8JN06PG1.shtml.

Or you can google “del rio illegal immigration” and nearly every link you get will take you to this almost exact article by Alicia Caldwell, 8/24/06. Copying and pasting while adding a sentence here and there and subtracting a few sentences you don’t like does not make you the author of someone else’s work.
Michael Kraft on July 21st, 2007 12:45 pm

Ned Posted this about this article, and I deleted the rest of his ramplings, but here is his point.

“This is a great article with a great message. Too bad Mr. Kraft is completely plagarizing it. This article was written by A.P. writer, Alicia Caldwell, almost a year ago. Here’s a web address where you can view the ORIGINAL article (if you don’t believe me): http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/24/ap/national/mainD8JN06PG1.shtml.
”

Ned must have not bothered to read the story above which the FIRST LINE says
“Newsmax gives us this insight to a story Glenn Beck covered just tonight on his show.”

So the first line names and links to where I read it and quoted from on NEWSMAX.com, so since I am not taking credit for it from the very first word, you really need to pay closer attention before your post such things.

Thanks for you unresearched charges Ned, have a great day and good luck with your peace marches.
Ned on July 22nd, 2007 1:33 am

And hold on just a second here, I AM A STRONG CONSERVATIVE AND WOULDN’T TAKE PART IN A PEACE MARCH IF YOU PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD! I read your reference to Newsmax the first time I read the article. There are very simple standards for using others’ work, and briefly mentioning some website that posts news articles does not at all excuse you for claiming to be the author of this article. The researched FACTS are that you, in plain print, have put YOUR NAME as the author and a published date that is downright inaccurate. Newsmax didn’t write the article and it wasn’t published on July 14, 2007. I searched high and low throughout your post to find a reference to the actual author; none exist. I’M NOT SAYING YOU NECESSARILY DID THIS ON PURPOSE, NOR AM I ABOUT TO RANDOMLY ACCUSE YOU OF BEING A TREE-HUGGING HIPPIE as you did to me, but it is incredibly misleading to put YOUR NAME as the author and a false published date, especially without referencing the actual author, which is not Newsmax. You need to calm down before you blame someone else for your mistake. I THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS ARTICLE, WISH YOU NO ILL WILL AND PROBABLY SEE EYE TO EYE WITH YOU ON THE ISSUE THIS ARTICLE BRINGS UP, Mr. Kraft, but you ought to be a little more careful how you do it next time. I truly do wish you a good day and hope you will continue to post encouraging articles such as this in the future (just without your name as the author when you’re not the author). I suspect you are a hard-working, honest American as am I, so I would also appreciate you not questioning my patriotism in the future.
Michael Kraft on July 22nd, 2007 1:09 pm

Ned, As you may have noticed. Newsmax, does not mention the authors name or original publish date, so I have referenced my source in my opening line. As they dont reference where they got it or any original publish date, your issue would be with them. I dont really see why this is the point that comes out of the story. If A.P. writer, Alicia Caldwell wishes to contact Newsmax to get her name attached and avoid someone quoting them as the source I encourage her to do so.
Michael Kraft on July 22nd, 2007 1:37 pm

Out of consideration for Alicia Caldwell, we have noted her, and not Newsmax as the original writer of the article we comment on here. Newsmax remains where we original read it, but it does not note her as the author in their wire publication from 2006.