I-80 aliens now lower priority (Pennsylvania)

Butler Eagle ^ | 9/6/04 | Sandy Marwick

[smokinleroy]

MERCER COUNTY - State police have stopped hundreds of illegal aliens along Interstate 80 this year, but only one in four is taken into custody.

The reason for the low arrest rate is that immigration officials have put a lower priority on such cases. "In Pennsylvania, we prioritize your airports and national security interests, electric facilities, dams, power plants . . . we also prioritize criminal aliens that present public safety risks, such as drug dealers, child sex predators, murders and perpetrators of sexual assault," said Russ Knocke, director of public affairs for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Washington.

The acronym for the office is ICE. Between May and July, 235 illegal aliens were caught during traffic stops along I-80, said William Williams, an officer at the Mercer County state police barracks in Jackson Township. In August, close to 90 were documented. "Ever since 9/11, our directive from Harrisburg has been to look beyond the traffic stop," Williams said of the large number of aliens caught. "They want to see an increase in interstate presence, a more proactive role in enforcement on interstates, not only (with) illegal activity but also for the safety of motorists."

Despite this increase, many of the illegal, or undocumented, aliens are released because of too few immigration officers in the area.

Williams said state police typically come across illegal aliens during routine stops. Initial violations might include common traffic offenses or overcrowding in vehicles, with children sitting on laps and too few safety belts for the number of passengers.

In those kinds of cases, officers question the driver and passengers, attempting to obtain names, birth dates and addresses. Police then search an ICE database for more information.

"It's not uncommon for an undocumented alien to be forthcoming with their identity," said Knocke. "If there's a hit with one of the databases, we will relay to the state trooper that Jane or John Doe is of interest to us, and request they be taken to the nearest detention facility, where we will go to speak to them further."

Knocke said all undocumented aliens are processed when they are caught by ICE agents. However, many are let go in outlying areas, such as Mercer County, because those cases could channel attention away from matters more vital to homeland security.

Of the 235 undocumented aliens caught by state police between May and July, only 60 - or 25 percent - were detained, Williams said.

"Those determinations are made simply based on resource prioritization, because along I-80, ICE's presence is not as strong as it is elsewhere," Knocke said of the large number of aliens who are let go. The nearest ICE office is in Pittsburgh, but the state's primary ICE office is in Philadelphia.

"If our agents come into contact with an undocumented alien, we will aggressively enforce immigration law," Knocke said of ICE officers operating on their own turf. "We are limited in resources, and we have a vital homeland security mission to carry out. We prioritize to fulfill that mission."

Neither Williams nor Knocke says he has reason to believe that more undocumented aliens are traveling along I-80, but that more of them are being stopped because of increased vigilance by police patrols. "We've always been making stops like this," said Williams, who attributes the increase to expert police work. "It's basically good work on the part of the troopers out there. The troopers are more vigilant with traffic stops."

"We do get a lot of U.S. citizens that are fugitives from justice, too," he added, referring to other criminals, many of them involved with drugs, who are caught on the interstate.

Williams said although many of the undocumented aliens are from Mexico, others have been from Somalia, Jamaica, Ecuador, various states in Russia, Nigeria and from South American countries.

Knocke said, on a national level, most undocumented aliens are also from Mexico, with a higher percentage of men than women.

Knocke said two-thirds of aliens caught in the nation must remain in custody after being classified as "mandatory holds." That means they are repeat immigration violators or present a risk to public safety. Members of the remaining one-third are handled on a case-by-case basis. Many qualify for alternative detention programs while awaiting due process in the legal system. Alternative programs could mean release on bond, release on their own recognizance or release with intensive supervision.

Williams said the release of many such aliens in Mercer County doesn't discourage police who patrol the interstate.

"What it boils down to is our organization is going to continue to do its job," he said, adding that non-immigration cases can sometimes conclude with similar results.

"Individuals can be arraigned for a particular crime. Once it goes to the court system, they may be sentenced to a lesser degree of the crime. Regardless of that, the troopers continue to do their job," he said

[smokinleroy]

One doesn't often think of PA as a passageway for illegal immigrants.

[ikka]

EVERYONE must travel through PA to get to/from New England/NJ/NY. Have a look at the map - there is no other way to go. I-80 is heavily traveled, all the time. This is just a drop in the bucket of the number of illegals there are.

[kb2614]

Mercer County?? I grew up in Lawrence County (next county, just south). I80 is a major throughfare through the state so I can see why it would be considered a passageway. Starts in NJ ends in CA.

[thor76]

You are quite correct that I-80 is a corridor for the migration of illegal aliens. The most annoying thing about this article is that is shows that our govt. does not think about illgals as a "homeland security problem".

Bovine feces! There are so many illegals, particularly from Mexico. And they are NOT all sleepy little fellas who eat tacos peaceably! Mexico has lots of gang problems. And those problems have two legs & migrate to and through El Norte.

Thy are stealing our jobs and leaching off the healthcare & social services network all over the place. If you think they only do menial jobs "that nobdoy wants" - think again.

There are many out of work Americans who would love to have some of the jobs they have - like cleaning up in a Wal-Mart. But also one must realize that Mexicans know - or have learned skilled trades. They are no longer the dishwashers - they are the cooks. They are not the coffee boy on hte construction site, now they do roofing, install carpets........and Home Depot uses them to do installation work of hot water heaters, boilers, and major appliances.

They are infringing on the skilled construction trades now. In NYC Arabs & Indopaks are also goinginto the construction trades. And they are no more legal then the Mexicans!

The illegal aliens worker issue is a very real threat to our economy. But it is also a military security threat too. From many angles...from Mexicans to Russians to Arabs, many nefarious characters have been let in this country. Some are literally "soldiers of fortune".

We have endangered ourselves in this manner.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Willie Green]

EVERYONE must travel through PA to get to/from New England/NJ/NY. Have a look at the map - there is no other way to go. I-80 is heavily traveled, all the time.

You can also take the Pa. turnpike, but it's a little further south and ya gotta pay a toll.
Of course, there are also more scenic routes available, if ya want to turn a 5 hour drive into a 3 day journey.

[B4Ranch]

>>"If our agents come into contact with an undocumented alien, we will aggressively enforce immigration law," said Russ Knocke, director of public affairs for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Washington. <<

Mr. knocke, would you understand the exact meaning of this abreviated sentence?

"Bullshit!"

I'll be glad to say it to your face should we ever meet. That way I can explain in detail just what it means.

Regards,
Dave

[fortunecookie]

One doesn't often think of PA as a passageway for illegal immigrants.

I-80 extends from NYC to San Fran, as you probably know.

EVERYONE must travel through PA to get to/from New England/NJ/NY. Have a look at the map - there is no other way to go. I-80 is heavily traveled, all the time. This is just a drop in the bucket of the number of illegals there are.

So true. Anyone who regularly travels I-80 sees this all the time. Or what could be this. Stopping at certain rest stops or fast food places along the way, one sees all sorts of people who may or may not be illegal but are a variety of ethnic groups speaking every language from Spanish to Arabic to languages of India and Asia. Not much English. It does make one wonder.

[beezdotcom]

"If our agents come into contact with an undocumented alien, we will aggressively enforce immigration law," Knocke said of ICE officers operating on their own turf.

Notice that Knocke seems unable to use the phrase "illegal alien" - he repeatedly uses the phrase "undocumented alien". The hope is to make people forget about the issue - because doesn't 'undocumented' sound SO much less threatening than 'illegal'?

[Brownie74]

...we also prioritize criminal aliens that present public safety risks, such as drug dealers, child sex predators, murders and perpetrators of sexual assault," said Russ Knocke...

More jobs that Americans won't do. And to think I felt bad about my lettuce not getting picked!!

-

[TheLion]

Thanks for the ping.

The costs down the road will far outweigh any costs now to deport these felons....not to mention increased costs for homeland security.

[Joe Hadenuf]

MERCER COUNTY - State police have stopped hundreds of illegal aliens along Interstate 80 this year, but only one in four is taken into custody.

It'll get so bad in PA, and everywhere else, when you see a job for a manager/supervisor position, it will demand that you be bilingual Spanish. Don't believe me? Look at 10 to 20 percent of the jobs now offered in the southwest on the job forums. Up to 20 percent of these positions now want bilingual Spanish speakers.

It's nothing but a sell out of everything American.

[Marine Inspector]

This is what ICE has apprehended in PA this FY:

Mali	10
Mauritania	1
Mexico	553
Moldova	1
Morocco	10
New Zealand	3
Nicaragua	1
Niger	5
Nigeria	5
Pakistan	16
Panama	2
Peru	9
Philippines	3
Poland	11
Portugal	1
Qatar	1
Russia	13
Rwanda	1
Saudi Arabia	4
Senegal	1
Sierra Leon	1
Singapore	1
South Africa	1
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	2
Sudan	1
Syria	4
Taiwan	2
Tanzania	1
Thailand	4
The Gambia	2
Trinidad and Tobago	14
Tunisia	9
Turkey	21
Ukraine	13
United Arab Emirates	1
United Kingdom	10
Uruguay	1
Uzbekistan	1
Vietnam	10
Yemen	1
Zambia	3
Zimbabwe	2

[Marine Inspector]

See above

[TheLion]

Thanks for those numbers.

I wonder how many of these felons have drivers licenses, proper insurance and cars that can pass inspection and is this keeping America safe?

[B4Ranch]

Thanks for the uptodate report. It's awful hard to argue with facts about just how many illegals are in the US of A when you post these reports for everyone to see.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Your post is exactly right.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

BTTT

[thor76]

When visiing friends in rural Northeastern PA, I see them all the time. Not in tremendous numbers, but enough to make you think. The numbers posted are amazing!

Just go to a K-Mart or Wal_mart....you will see them, in small numbers. They clean up the floors in those stores, late at night. They live around the area. And my tale about Home Depot is true: they are being used to do installation work.

They are primarily using I-80 as a mainline to NYC - and so do not (yet!!!!) live in these areas in great numbers. First of all, there are not that many apartments available. Secondly, there is no community of their kind to join up with, and not much work for them to do. Also, the smaller towns and cities usually do not have good public transit - nor bus/train service to connect with larger cities such as NY or Philly.

But the legal citixens who live in these areas are in literal fear.....of illegals coming and causing a job crunch, crime, and houseing shortages, as they have caused in major cities like NYC.

[Joe Hadenuf]

But the legal citizens who live in these areas are in literal fear.....of illegals coming and causing a job crunch, crime, and houseing shortages, as they have caused in major cities like NYC.

The people in PA have good reason to fear it. They are there and many more are coming my friend. Bet the rent.