Posted on 01/15/2008 1:20:45 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Ariz. takes aim at migrant 'drop houses'
By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
47 minutes ago
State officials are picking new targets in their efforts to stop illegal immigration in Arizona: the "drop houses" where human smugglers hold customers until they pay up.
Gov. Janet Napolitano, addressing the opening day of the Legislature on Monday, said the state should go after property managers who knowingly rent homes to smugglers.
"Strengthen the law, so we can get to that middleman," said the Democratic governor, who offered no specific suggestions on how the state should hold such rental agents accountable.
Napolitano posted an executive order Monday that lets state real estate regulators and state police share information on drop houses so they can prepare reports and make recommendations on the problem.
Smugglers store customers in drop houses while they collect their fees and make their travel arrangements. The locations host some of the worst abuses in immigrant smuggling, such as assaults, rapes and hostage-takings. Some smugglers force their way into drop houses to kidnap rival traffickers for ransom.
The Phoenix metropolitan area is believed to have about 1,000 drop houses.
Immigration has emerged as a pivotal issue in the Republican presidential race, and Arizona's Tucson sector is the busiest illicit entry corridor on the U.S.-Mexican border.
Republican state Rep. Russell Pearce, the Legislature's staunchest advocate for tougher immigration enforcement, said he intends to propose a bill that would target the assets of people involved in immigrant smuggling.
"If they are knowingly harboring illegal aliens and facilitating drop houses, they should lose everything they have," Pearce said.
Ping!
Best way to stop this is to lock up the coyote forever.
Coyotes should be charged with kidnapping and slavery...and if they rape...add on the Mann Act
The Chamber of Communists may not like this, but too bad
It’s simple. The state confiscates the house once it can be proved in court it is used as a “safe house.” Then the state sells the house and uses the proceeds for court and law enforcement costs. Eventually, the people who own these houses will be very careful who they contract with to manage their property.
Where I live, a house can be confiscated by the county or city if it can be proved it is being used to sell crack or other drugs.
Sometimes the owners of the drop houses are on vacation and know nothing.
The state would have to go through due process to confiscate the house. In that process if the owners could prove they really were ignorant of what was going on the confiscation would be dropped. Then the owners could sue the rental agent for the hassle.
Damn, I was hoping they’d use puff the majic dragon on one of these safe drop houses.
Sure would send a meaningful message.
Yes, I agree.
I just wanted to say that they invade houses that are empty because the family is on vacation - not a rental agreement. The family comes home to find their house trashed. What a shock!
bump
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