Illegal Immigration is more than just a political talking point; the left seems determined to make us an open-border country no matter the cost. Each week, Liberty Nation recognizes the Americans who must pay it.
Week of July 11-17
If Only it Hadn’t Been a Sanctuary City/State
Corey Cottrell (left) and Jose Rodriguez (right)
How many times have we read about a rape, child molestation, murder or other heinous crime only to find out that the alleged suspect was an illegal immigrant who should have been deported? Lives forever changed or lost could have been saved if we had the resources and intel to apprehend and remove these criminals from our land. Obviously, not all immigrants are criminals and just as obvious we can not expect to capture every one that is, but sanctuary cities and states – and those who support them – are making it that much more difficult to remove such dangerous people.
On June 22, in the town of Bloomington, IL, 39-year-old Corey Cottrell was struck by a vehicle that had ran a red light. Cottrell, who was riding his motorcycle, had been on his way to see his mother at the Bloomington Church of Christ picnic. He was going through the intersection when 27-year-old Jose Rodriguez, a Honduran national in the US illegally, ran the red light and changed the Cottrell family forever. Rodriquez fled the scene. Although he did turn himself in the following day, the migrant had been ordered removed back in 2013.
ICE said in a statement: “Then on March 6, 2014, a federal immigration judge ordered him [Rodriquez] removed in absentia. He is considered an ICE fugitive.”
The Cottrell family was shocked by the news, Cheryl Wendland, the family’s friend and spokesperson said. “It’s much worse than we all expected. It means he’s been in Bloomington illegally for at least five years.”
One June 23, ICE placed an immigration detainer with the McLean County Jail, where Rodriguez is being held. However, since Illinois is a sanctuary state and Bloomington a sanctuary city, the detainer is powerless, according to Don Rosenberg of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crimes (AVIAC). “Officials in sanctuary jurisdictions are not permitted to cooperate with ICE regardless of the crime.”
Rosenberg is from California, another state that follows the sanctuary status. In 2010, his son was killed by a car driven by an immigrant in the country illegally.
“Essentially the detainer process is a notice that when you are done with the guy we want him. That would mean after a trial and if guilty after he served his time. If not guilty they would still turn him over. Sanctuary jurisdictions just ignore the detainer.”
He claims that sanctuary policies pretty much grant diplomatic immunity to illegal immigrants, even those who have committed other crimes besides being in the country illegally.
Brian McCann is another AVIAC member. In 2011, his brother, 66-year-old Dennis, was killed by a drunk driver while crossing a street in Chicago. The driver was an illegal immigrant with a blood alcohol content of 0.29 at the time. The driver also reportedly fled to Mexico and has never been prosecuted.
“When Cook County Sheriff [Tom] Dart released my brother’s killer he knew it was a flight risk,” McCann said. “But he released him anyway because a few months prior Cook County went sanctuary.”
These are just three people whose lives have been changed so drastically because of illegal immigrant criminals. While a border wall will not guarantee prevention against illegal crossings, it will do more to protect our citizens than open borders and sanctuary cities and states that refuse to cooperate with federal officers in apprehending dangerous criminals.
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To read more from Kelli Ballard, visit her author page. At Liberty Nation, we love to hear from our readers. Comment and join the conversation!
