Various N.C. news outlets are reporting today that in the wake of Eve Carson’s murder, the North Carolina Department of Correction has asked the National Institute of Corrections (an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice) to “review training and practices of probation offices in the state’s urban areas.” Apparently, similar reviews have been done in the past.
Now, if it is appropriate for the DOJ to review the training and practices of probation officers, why is it not appropriate — as some have suggested — for local law enforcement officers to be trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, as is currently being done via the 287g program in Mecklenburg, Alamance and Gaston?
Going one step further, permit me to pose a tough question: If Eve Carson had been murdered by an illegal alien — instead of two young black men out on probation — would the state be inviting ICE to review North Carolina’s immigration enforcement policies — or lack thereof?
I would bet not. Yet, just this past weekend we saw a 7-year-old black boy, Marcus Lassiter, killed by drunk driver Pollo Hernandez Rodriquez — likely an illegal immigrant.
Will Marcus merely join the rolls of an ever-growing list of victims — Scott Gardener, Lewis Fetterman, Hester Coleman — or will his death be the tipping point that prompts real reform, as apparently Eve Carson’s death has?
JJ says
Keep on them. No more senseless deaths.
JJ says
Keep on them. No more senseless deaths.
ZZ says
Oh, lay off it you xenophobic racists. The proportion of crimes in this country committed by illegal aliens in infinitesimal. You’re just trumping up outrage.
Jameson Taylor says
What we need is dialogue – not demonization and name calling – on this issue. Opposing illegal immigration has nothing to do with race. In fact, condoning illegal immigration sets the groundwork for xenophobia and racism because it undermines the rule of law. All we want to see is equal application of the law for both citizens and non-citizens alike.
As for crime and illegal aliens, the facts speak for themselves:
More than 2 million kilos of cocaine and nearly 12 million kilos of marijuana were smuggled into the United States via the Mexican border in 2005. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, “North Carolina, in particular, has experienced a significant increase in drug-trafficking activity … due in part to an unprecedented influx of foreign nationals” – in particular, “Spanish-speaking, specifically Mexican, nationals.”
Sheriff Steve Bizzell estimates that 80 percent to 85 percent of the drug trade in Johnston County is conducted by Hispanics. Similarly, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office reports that although Hispanics made up only 5.4 percent of Wake’s population, they accounted for 46 percent of drug-trafficking arrests.
Between 1999 and 2004, Wake County also saw a nearly 6,000 percent increase in gang membership. During the same period, the city of Durham saw a 300 percent increase. At least one quarter – but probably more of these gang members are Hispanic and, nationally, Hispanics make up 49 percent of total gang membership. This is important because Hispanics account for about 80 percent of the illegal alien population.
This is not to say that all illegal aliens are violent criminals. That is obviously not true. But being an illegal immigrant de facto requires breaking immigration law. Moreover, in order to work in the United States, most illegal aliens must resort to identity theft. In short, illegal immigration fosters and facilitates a disrespect for the law, which often leads to additional crimes.