Soft Underbelly, Part 2

There are real problems related to our borders. We have such little control over our southern border that essentially anyone can get across. The result is that the border is only effective at keeping out the kinds of people that we might actually be willing to let in; the kind of people that we really need to keep out find that our border is not much of a deterrent to illegal entry into the United States.

Examples of the kinds of people that are coming across the border illegally can be found in a report entitled A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border. (See original for footnotes; note that the URL is misspelled: http://www.house.gov/mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf.)

II. Illegal Alien Crimes Against U.S. Citizens

Not all illegal aliens are crossing into the United States to find work. Law enforcement officials indicate that there are individuals coming across the border who are forced to leave their home countries because of their criminal activity. These dangerous criminals are fleeing the law in other countries and seeking refuge in the United States. For instance, it is known that many of the operatives of cartels in Mexico actually live in the United States. Information received by several law enforcement agencies indicates these criminals are living in our communities and that they come to the U.S. to escape the possibility of apprehension in Mexico.⁹⁰

The Violent Crimes Institute conducted a 12 month in-depth study of illegal immigrants who committed sex crimes and murders for the time period of January 1999 through April 2006. This study makes it clear that the U.S. faces a dangerous threat from sexual predators that cross the U.S. borders illegally.⁹¹

The Institute analyzed 1,500 cases in depth, including serial rapes, serial murders, sexual homicides, and child molestation committed by illegal immigrants. Police reports, public records, interviews with police, and media accounts were all included. Offenders were located in thirty-six states, with the most of the offenders were located in States with the highest numbers of illegal immigrants. California was ranked first, followed by Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, and Florida.⁹²

Based on an estimated illegal immigrant population of 12,000,000 and the fact that young males make up more of this population than the general U.S. population, the Institute concluded that sex offenders in the illegal immigrant group make up a higher percentage. ICE reports and public records show sex offenders comprising 2% of illegals apprehended. Based on this 2% figure, which is conservative, the Institute estimates that there are approximately 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States.⁹³

The study concluded, when applied to ongoing illegal immigration at the borders, these estimates translate to 93 sex offenders and twelve serial sexual offenders coming across U.S. borders illegally per day. The 1,500 offenders in this study had a total of 5,999 victims. Each sex offender averaged four victims. This puts the estimate for victimization numbers around 960,000 for the 88 months examined in this study.⁹⁴

The violence of illegal aliens is not confined to border communities. Residents and law enforcement in the interior cities are also vulnerable to criminals crossing the border. The following are examples of crimes committed by illegal aliens:

• In testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Investigations, Carrie Ruiz, a Houston resident, described how her 17 year old daughter was murdered in October 1999 by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who escaped prosecution by returning to his home country. Ruiz's daughter was stabbed more than thirty-nine times after she helped authorities identify a gang member.

• On February 10, 2005, a high-ranking member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), was apprehended in Brooks County, Texas. He had been previously deported at least four times. This MS-13 gang member is believed to have been responsible for the killing of twenty-eight persons, including six children, and the wounding of fourteen others, in a bus explosion in his native country. Information was received in late April of this year that he was on his way back into the United States, or that he was already in the country, and was threatening to assassinate any officer that attempted to apprehend him.⁹⁵

• On March 22, 2006, Texas State Trooper Steven Stone was shot six times at point blank range by two illegal aliens during a routine traffic stop. Ramon Ramos and Francisco Saucedo were charged with fourteen counts of aggravated assault on a public servant. An investigation showed that Ramos had been criminally deported from the United States on two different occasions on Federal weapons and drug charges. Ramos had been living illegally in the United States for approximately three to four years prior to the March 22 shooting.

On the night of the shooting, Ramos and Saucedo were in possession of body armor, a rifle modified for automatic fire, a handgun modified for automatic fire, two or more handguns, numerous knives, drugs and alcohol.⁹⁶

• On June 27, 2006, a teenage girl from Mexia, Texas was forced off the road by two illegal aliens and kidnapped. She was sexually assaulted by both men. The two illegals tried unsuccessfully to break her neck and strangle her. They then dragged her out of the car and put her into a ditch where they began kicking, beating, and stabbing her with broken glass. She sustained massive injuries to her head, face and upper body. After the suspects left her for dead, she was able to walk about one-half mile to the nearest house and ask for help. The suspects are identified as Noel Darwin Hernandez and Javier Guzman Martinez. An immigration hold has been placed on each suspect.⁹⁷

• On September 21, 2006, in Houston, Texas an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Juan Leonardo Quintero, was charged in with capital murder in the shooting death of Houston Police Officer Rodney Johnson. Quintero had been deported in the past. His record shows in 1998 he was charged with indecency with a child.⁹⁸

On September 29, 2006, one week after Officer Johnson was killed by an illegal alien, Houston Mayor Bill White announced a change in the way Houston Police officers process suspected illegal immigrants. The Houston police will fingerprint suspected illegal immigrants detained on minor violations, and those with identification police believe to be fraudulent. That information will then be provided to Federal authorities.⁹⁹

Though not orchestrated by a foreign government, this illegal invasion of the United States is orchestrated by foreign powers, the organized crime cartels that illegally move narcotics, people and other contraband into the United States, where Americans are killed and otherwise victimized as a result of the illegal crossings.



Stay tuned as we look more closely at the threat posed by Islamic terrorists in relation to our easy-to-cross borders.