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Striking changes in Arizona as illegal immigrants flee the state
Intellectual Conservative ^ | May 15, 2008 | Rachel Alexander

Posted on 05/15/2008 1:51:56 PM PDT by az4vlad

click here to read article


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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle; AuntB; Tennessee Nana
Although Arizona's Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano has vetoed most illegal immigration bills since 2002 when she entered office, Arizonans have bypassed her by sending initiatives directly to the ballot. In 2004, voters passed four illegal immigration measures with over 70% yes margins. A law targeting drophouses was signed into law earlier this month. An even stricter employer sanctions measure is currently underway to be on the ballot this fall.
41 posted on 05/15/2008 2:39:58 PM PDT by Liz (Without the brave, there'd be no land of the free. Senator Fred Thompson)
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To: az4vlad

“In 2004, voters passed four illegal immigration measures with over 70% yes margins. “

And John McCain came out against it.


42 posted on 05/15/2008 2:47:34 PM PDT by AuntB (Vote Obama! ..........Because ya can't blame 'the man' when you are the 'man'.... Wanda Sikes)
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To: Joe 6-pack
"Yes, but just wait 'til the cost of lettuce jumps to $10 per head. The Arizona residents will be begging to bring the illegals back."

Hell, if doing without lettuce will solve the illegal problem, then I'll gladly do without it...or plant my own victory garden...that way it would be even more fresh...and way cheaper.

To paraphrase an old saying, "If I know they were going to be this much trouble, I would have picked my own lettuce."
43 posted on 05/15/2008 2:49:02 PM PDT by FrankR (OBAMA is the VAST WRIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY...)
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To: swain_forkbeard

>>>>>>You may not like it and I may not like it, but just being in the country witout proper authorization IS NOT A FELONY.

True enough, but every re-entry after an adjudicated deportation proceeding (e.g., by the CIS/ICE immigration court) IS a felony.


44 posted on 05/15/2008 2:50:14 PM PDT by angkor
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To: kingattax
when is arizona gonna throw don veto napolitano out on her butt ?

When the state gets a voter ID law?

45 posted on 05/15/2008 2:56:13 PM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: CHEE
I prefer the word “INSURGENTS” over “migrants”.

Same here, that's what they are as far as I'm concerned. I do find it amusing though the softer and less threatening terms like "undocumented immigrants" and "migrants" the liberal media likes to use.

46 posted on 05/15/2008 2:57:39 PM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: swain_forkbeard

IT damn sure should be!


47 posted on 05/15/2008 3:01:11 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: mewzilla

Now you’ve gone and noodled out why she got elected in the first place...she’s worried now because they won’t be there next time to uh...vote.


48 posted on 05/15/2008 3:02:24 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Joe 6-pack

Stop welfare & require capable to get jobs doing the picking
or something.


49 posted on 05/15/2008 3:04:08 PM PDT by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: Gaffer

I agree. Especially since we face the very real threat of infiltration by sworn enemies.


50 posted on 05/15/2008 3:06:30 PM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: az4vlad
No statistical data cited by the author to substantiate the claims.

I tend to believe them, but they are still unsubstantiated.

51 posted on 05/15/2008 3:11:45 PM PDT by Mariner
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To: swain_forkbeard

violating our borders and entering illegally USED to be a felony but the dimocrat controlled congress in 1986 reduced the penalty to a misdemeanor when they approved the amnesty for the purported 400,000 illegals then in the country (which turned out to be 4M instead).


52 posted on 05/15/2008 3:40:13 PM PDT by bpjam (Drill For Oil or Lose Your Job!! Vote Nov 3, 2008)
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To: az4vlad
One out of every 10, eh?

John McCain wants them too. So do the other two traitors running for POTUS. Here are the Senators who voted against the Cornyn amendment , which would have established a permanent bar for gang members, terrorists, and other criminals looking to snag a shamnesty visa. Republicans underlined:


53 posted on 05/15/2008 4:04:21 PM PDT by Vigilanteman ((Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud))
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To: mewzilla
When the state gets a voter ID law?

We have a voter ID law. Someone earlier said she is term limited.

54 posted on 05/15/2008 4:24:27 PM PDT by HiJinx (~ Support our Troops ~ www.americasupportsyou.mil ~)
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To: kingattax

Soon hopefully. Butch Nappy just signed an illegal executive order taking away $$$ for inforcing the hunt for illegal immigrants and their transporters, even though state lawmakers passed legislation to fund the Sherrifs office to enforce the illegal problem.


55 posted on 05/15/2008 4:56:09 PM PDT by hope
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To: Mariner

That bit about the ELL students dropping out and the judge being satisfied?

Not true. The legislature coughed up another $40 Million for ELL, and the folks who sued in the first place are going back to the judge to insist that it isn’t enough.

There’ve been no published stats that I’ve seen to support the author’s claim in that instance.


56 posted on 05/15/2008 10:10:37 PM PDT by HiJinx (~ Support our Troops ~ www.americasupportsyou.mil ~)
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To: 1_Inch_Group; 2sheep; 2Trievers; 3AngelaD; 3pools; 3rdcanyon; 4Freedom; 4ourprogeny; 7.62 x 51mm; ..

ping


57 posted on 05/16/2008 8:46:42 AM PDT by gubamyster
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To: az4vlad

Related:

Marc Victor’s opinion of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas

Ernest Hancock
Website: www.ernesthancock.com
Date: 02-22-2007
Subject: Criminal Justice System

County attorney gets tough; defenders get rich

Jill Redhage, Tribune

Click Here to see the the Tribune article and the excellent reader opinions :)

Business for Valley defense attorneys is booming. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has been cracking down on criminals since 2004, and public defenders have scrambled to keep up as prison populations have swelled.

“When Thomas came in, caseloads started going up much more,” said Tempe defense attorney David Cantor.

He said the trend started with former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, but attorneys saw a distinct caseload change with Thomas.

The number of criminal cases filed in Maricopa County Superior Court has risen every year since at least 2001. County prosecutors filed more than 28,000 criminal cases in fiscal year 2000-01. In fiscal year 2005-06, that number exceeded 39,000.

In the wake, some defense attorneys are gaining clients. Others have kept their workloads constant but charge higher fees for their services.

“We charge 50 percent higher fees because we have to go to trial, and trials are expensive,” said Larry Debus, a Phoenix defense attorney.

Debus said his firm grows about 20 percent each year.

“We get more and more business all the time,” he said. “We get more today because when more cases go to trial, more defendants want private attorneys.”

TRIALS ON THE RISE

Defense attorneys blame prosecutors’ undesirable plea agreements for what they feel is a rise in the number of cases going to trial.

“They’re overcharging for felonies that should be misdemeanors,” Cantor said. “Then they plea to the lead charge, but their lead charge is too stiff. This means everything goes to trial.”

Michael Freeman, an attorney with Wolf & Associates, agreed.

“Charges are more serious than they were two years ago for the same type of crimes,” he said. “For example, cases that should be charged as simple possession of drugs, or personal possession, are now being charged as possession for sale with a possible mandatory prison sentence.”

In November, Thomas said that for second offenses, he would only approve plea deals requiring a prison sentence. He estimated that would mean an additional 2,600 prison inmates each year, which would cost taxpayers an additional $53 million.

Tempe defense attorney Craig Penrod said more felony DUI cases are going to trial that should be settled with plea deals.

Penrod also said he saw prosecutors charge a man who sexually assaulted an infant the same way they charged stepsiblings who had consensual sex, because of Thomas’ “rote plea agreements.”

Another difficulty is that deadlines for plea agreements have been shorter recently, according to Mesa defense attorney Anthony Bingham.

But statistics indicate that the perceived rise in trials may be imagined.

In fiscal year 2000-01, 825 cases went to trial. That figure was 817 in fiscal year 2005-06, according to the Maricopa County Superior Court.

Prosecutors acknowledged that defendants are having to plea to harsher sentences.

“We offer plea agreements that we feel are fair, taking into account the defendant’s background, prior convictions, victim’s rights and the evidence,” said Barnett Lotstein, spokesman for the county attorney. “But we have no obligation to offer plea agreements.”

BUSY PUBLIC DEFENDERS

Freeman said he can control his caseload as a private attorney, and he hasn’t taken on more cases in recent years.

But he has had more opportunities, he said, “thanks to Mr. Thomas literally swamping all the public defender and court-appointed attorneys by the number of cases that he’s filing.”

Annual reports from the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office show its caseload rising from 36,637 cases in 2001 to 46,315 in 2005.

By 2005, the office’s caseload warranted more than 286 attorneys, according to industry standards. But the office employed fewer than 234 attorneys, the annual report showed.

“Public defenders for the most part do a great job,” Debus said. “But they have 10 times as many cases as private attorneys. Public defenders have 50 to 100 cases at any given time. I do probably 20 cases in a year.”

Maricopa County Public Defender James Haas’ office did not return calls for comment.

COST OF JUSTICE

More cases mean more prisoners.

The state’s prison population is now almost 35,000. About 60 percent are from the Valley, according to the Council of State Governments Justice System, a nonpartisan organization.

That number could grow by 52 percent to reach 56,660 by 2017, the organization reports, meaning an extra $3 billion for taxpayers.

Jim Austin, a prison system expert, said the state’s gettough attitude on all types of crime, including low-level offenses, is one cause for the rise. He also cited longer sentences.

“Criminal justice is not cost effective,” Lotstein explained. If decisions were made according to cost, he said they’d buy a new car for a victim of car theft instead of prosecute the case.

“It’s really a red herring to think that we should forgo justice to save money. The first priority of the justice system is to protect citizens. What is the cost to the public if a burglar is let back on the streets?” Lotstein asked.

Most defense attorneys don’t thank Thomas for making them richer.

“I would prefer to make less money and have more justice,” said Marc Victor, a Chandler defense attorney and criminal law specialist. Victor said he can charge $15,000 for work that his brother, a defense attorney in Massachusetts, can only charge $2,500.

“Andrew Thomas has been good for business, but bad for justice,” Victor said.

Debus framed the situation differently.

“I say he’s a great county attorney,” he said. “We charge higher fees and we get to go to trial more, which is what we do best.”


58 posted on 05/16/2008 1:50:12 PM PDT by philetus (Keep doing what you always do and you'll keep getting what you always get.)
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To: gubamyster

Bttt!


59 posted on 05/16/2008 4:46:13 PM PDT by TheLion
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To: TheLion

bttt


60 posted on 05/20/2008 4:44:38 AM PDT by TenthAmendmentChampion (Global warming is to Revelations as the theory of evolution is to Genesis.)
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