Tag Archives: ICE

The Incredible Case Of Jakadrian Turner

So let me see if I’ve got this straight.

A 14 year-old American girl named Jakadrian Turner, upset over her parents’ divorce and the recent death of her grandfather, runs away from her home in Dallas, Texas. She ends up in Houston, where she’s arrested on suspicion of theft. The fake name she gives to police, Tika Lanay Cortez, happens to be the name of a 22-year-old Colombian woman who has outstanding warrants, and is on a list for referral to immigration authorities as an illegal alien.

Turner claims to be Cortez throughout the criminal proceedings in Houston. She’s fingerprinted, but nothing turns up. A representative from the Colombian consulate interviews her, and the Colombian government issues her a travel document to enter Colombia. ICE, along with an American judge, deports her to Colombia. Once there, she’s given Colombian citizenship, and enrolled in the country’s “Welcome Home” program.

AND SHE DOESN’T SPEAK FRIGGIN SPANISH!!

That’s right. A 14-year-old African American girl, born in the U.S., who is not fluent in Spanish, is somehow mistaken for a 22 year-old native-born Colombian woman? And no one in the American justice system, ICE, or the Colombian consulate can figure that out?

It takes her grandmother and the Dallas Police nearly a year of searching to find her, and only because she had a Facebook page. Apparently, Jakadrian was issued a work card by the Colombian government, and has been working as a house cleaner ever since her arrival in Bogotá.

I think we can all rest easier tonight, knowing that those crackerjack officials at ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are keeping us safe.

ICE Shifts Tactics

Wednesday in Minnesota, ICE agents arrested 37 criminal aliens as part of a nationwide sweep in which nearly 3,000 criminals were slated for deportation in an operation called “Cross-Check II.” More than 1600 had felony convictions ranging from attempted murder, manslaughter and kidnapping, to child abuse and sex crimes against minors. Of the 5,300 removed from this region this year, nearly 3,000––or 56%––had criminal records according to ICE data.

While illegal immigration continues to be a “hot-button” issue, especially among Republican presidential candidates, the Obama administration’s new emphasis on deporting aliens with serious felonies rather than those without proper documentation, who pose no threat to public safety or national security, is a welcome and much needed shift in focus.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice can now review and clear out low-priority cases from 300,000 backlogged deportation proceedings. Those with no criminal records will be allowed to remain in the country and apply for a work permit. This shift in focus should also help the estimated two million young people who–– under the DREAM ACT––could have achieved citizenship by pursuing higher education or military service.

Those who continue to criticize the Obama administration often fail to report that as of September 2011, 1.06 million illegal immigrants have been sent home in 2 1/2 years — nearly equaling the 1.57 million that George W. Bush deported in two full presidential terms.

ICE Changes Tactics

Recent raids in Minnesota that resulted in the firing of hundreds of Chipotle restaurant workers illustrate how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has changed its tactics. For years, critics have complained that ICE should target the owners of businesses who illegally hire rather than conducting raids targeted at immigrants. Over the last year, the agency has done just that, criminally charging a record-breaking 180 owners, employers, managers, or supervisors, up from 135 in 2008 and 114 in 2009, according to a report in the Minneapolis StarTribune.

ICE also conducted more than 2,200 I-9 audits in 2010, compared to 1,400 in 2009. Comparing I-9 audits against Social Security and immigration records have resulted in nearly $7 million in fines compared to $1 million in 2009.

Still, critics complain that fired workers are not arrested or deported and will just move on to another job. Chipotle quickly replaced the estimated 700 workers fired in December. ICE officials say that employers can avoid problems by participating in programs such as IMAGE or E-Verify, which allow them to quickly check online their employee’s records against federal records.

But some employers simply resort to cash payments and avoid paying taxes––which illustrates why the federal government needs to develop a plan for comprehensive immigration reform.