Posted on 05/24/2009 6:56:51 AM PDT by stan_sipple
The May 12 fatal traffic accident in Omaha involving Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa, a suspected illegal immigrant driving under a suspended license, has generated needed public attention.
Police allege that a vehicle driven by Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light and collided with a vehicle driven by Jayme Bluhm and carrying her three children. The accident claimed the life of one of the children, 4-year-old Josie, and injured the other family members.
Foremost, this is a tragedy for the Bluhm family. In addition, the case should raise red flags regarding two important public issues.
The first issue deals with the incredible danger posed by people who drive on suspended licenses, especially those who have histories of driving under the influence. I have become acutely aware of this problem as a member of the Nebraska Pardons Board.
Rangel-Ochoa has prior DUI convictions, but police are not alleging he was intoxicated at the time of the May 12 crash.
Driving under suspension is a callous act that presents great risks to the public. Such drivers have no licenses and no insurance and have a desperate need to avoid being arrested. This makes such drivers exceedingly dangerous, willing to risk the lives of others so they may exercise a privilege denied to them by our system.
The extent of the problem is plainly illustrated by court statistics. In 2008, there were 14,700 convictions in Nebraska for offenses regarding driving during suspension or revocation, according to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
Our legal system needs to give greater priority to the problem of driving under suspension, including finding effective means of keeping such drivers off the roads.
The public can be of immense help with this problem. If you know of someone who is driving under a suspended license, please report it immediately to law enforcement personnel.
The second issue deals with the lax enforcement of immigration laws as evidenced by the Rangel-Ochoa case.
He has three DUI convictions in Nebraska and another in Kansas. Despite his repeated trips through the criminal justice system, he wasn’t identified as a suspected illegal immigrant until after the May 12 accident.
The public has every reason to be angry about what has happened in this case. The question that rings out is this: How did his immigration status go undetected after so many law enforcement and court contacts?
He slipped through the cracks for a long period. He didn’t become a priority until there was a horrible accident.
This appears to be another classic case of America’s badly broken immigration system. Certainly, our immigration system needs to do a better job of identifying illegal immigrants with criminal records for deportation proceedings.
It is estimated there are 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Congress has failed to deal with their status and their effects on society. As a result, states and communities are left to deal with the situation in an ineffective, piecemeal manner. Frustration continues to grow with the situation.
It is my hope that the case of Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa opens eyes and leads to constructive dialogue and action to improve traffic safety and immigration law.
John Gale is the Nebraska Secretary of State.
Um... so is being an illegal alien.
PRIOR arrests and he is still in this country to drive and kill this child
Slipped thru the cracks my arse. There has been virtually no effort made to stop these illegal menaces. They are all over the place.
While I agree with everything in the article, the author neglected to report the child hadn’t been buckled in. Blame for the child’s death is shared by all involved.
Hal Daub ran for mayor against Omaha’s sanctuary city policy and narrowly lost. what a coincidence this story could not come out to affect the election.
agreed, we need to be more diligent ensuring the safety of our children. dont get a false sense of security just because you are in west omaha and the illegals are in south city.
Where was that reported. The only report on restraint that I saw stated that the child was buckled in and the restraint failed.
“: How did his immigration status go undetected after so many law enforcement and court contacts?
perhaps they just don’t give a hoot? its taboo to even mention immigration status in some instances.
Last report I read on FR back when it occured was the child wasn’t buckled.
Such a shame.
This is going to keep on happening until all the states get really tough on all illegals in their states and cities. There should be a law forbidding any American city to be a sanctuary city and the federal and state governments should withhold money or funds from these cities until they change their policy. JUST THINK OF THE MONEY THAT WOULD SAVE STATES! It should also be a matter of national law that English be adopted as our official language and that all immigrants to our country learn the language FIRST before they can receive any monetary remuneration or benefit from the federal government. JUST THINK OF THE MONEY THAT WOULD SAVE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!
Why do they keep throwing this lowball, fake number for illegals in this country? Secondly this article seems more concerned that he was driving without a license(or on a suspended one, which is the same)than the fact he should never have had a license in this country to begin with and that he should have been deported.
To me, driving suspended isn't near the horrendous crime this person is making it out to be, it depends on why it was suspended. The real crime here is that an illegal ever had a license to start with and that he stayed in this country long enough to kill a little child.
Nope, blame is only on the person causing the wreck. Put it where it belongs and quit trying to be an apologist for this fickin' illegal a**hat.
Gee, I thought giving illegals like him a license was supposed to improve public safety?
Politicians are partly responsible for this, by encouraging illegals to come into the country and settle down, as if they owned the place.
Jayme Bluhm told police that her three children were properly restrained when she left home. The seats were the appropriate size, according to accident investigators, but it appears Josie wasn’t buckled in when the crash happened.
Another dead American, thanks to our open border Quisling traitors.
Running a red light probably lead to a "T Bone" hit on the victim's car. Not all cars have side airbags and seat belts in this instance would not have been effective. In any case, a four year old should have been in a child safety seat, not belted in.
I think "sharing" out the blame to the mother is unnecessarily callus, she will carry her own for the rest of her life with no need for you to add to it.
Regards,
GtG
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