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11/30/2007
Don't diss the guy on the front line

I’m not sure how well Rep. Kagen was listening during Wednesday’s “listening session” on immigration. His staff did a good job, bringing in five local folks, primarily from law enforcement, and including Outagamie County Sheriff Brad Gehring and Lt. Ron Yow, Gehring’s man in charge of the county jail.

In the midst of the many programs and thousands of inmates he’s responsible for every year, Yow has implemented a collaborative program with the feds from Milwaukee’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.

The jail’s top officer works with ICE’s “Criminal Alien Program” – which Yow tried to explain to Dr. Kagen and the 50 or so residents gathered to listen in. Lieutenant Yow (rhymes with “now”) began by explaining the November, 2006 case which initiated the jail’s tag-team work with ICE. The long and short of it is that it was obvious one of the jail’s inmates was not a citizen – and Yow reached out to ICE for help. So Kagen asks Yow “Wasn’t the person sent back to his nation of origin?”

Well, it’s a little more complex than that. And I thought Yow felt the same bit of a twinge of frustration I did. So Yow finishes up his presentation, including a few numbers: since November of 2006, the County Jail has submitted 312 names of potential criminal aliens to ICE. Of those 312, 111 detention or deportation orders were ordered and on the other end of the spectrum, 108 were found to be naturalized U.S. citizens and allowed to stay in the country (and in the jail).

Ok, so my whole story is building up to what Kagen says in response to Yow’s interesting narrative:

“So, yours is pretty much a low volume business.”

What? Again, I thought I saw Yow flinch a bit. Maybe not, but I think so. Lt. Yow has countless responsibilities in the jail. No, this criminal alien program is not his very top priority. But he’s working hard at it, doing 3000% more than what’s been done in the past – and getting the more serious/violent criminal aliens deported. This is important work.

(I know – by definition, all illegal immigrants have broken the law – but these are not just your man-on-the-street illegal immigrant.)

And Kagen uses it as a springboard to showcase his recent trip to the border, miniaturizing Yow’s 312 potential criminal aliens in comparison to what he learned were “392,000 returned to their home countries” from the southern border in 2006.

Just kind of bugged me. Now, I appreciate that ostensibly he was listening to his constituents. And perhaps it doesn’t matter that Kagen is physically, not a very imposing person. And maybe I’m being too picky to overanalyze every little word out of his mouth. But he just doesn’t come across as the tough, revereable man or woman this country needs to address the tough issues before it.

COMMENTS

I'm curious, how does one become a suspected illegal alien? Is it that they can't speak a word of English? Their darker skin complexion? Anti-illegal immigration hysteria bothers me the same way anti-bootlegging during Prohibition would have if I lived back then: it's the government going out of its way to hunt down and prosecute people who have actually done nothing wrong. People say that illegal immigrants who commit a crime should be deported. I spent the whole summer working with inmates. Just a few of them were in for serious offenses like armed robbery. Most people who get arrested and incarcerated at the county jail here in Appleton are in for minor charges like disorderly conduct, shoplifting, drug possession, lots of people on probation who get caught drinking a beer, lots of minor domestic offenses. I'd say 80% of the people in jail here in Appleton really shouldn't be there and that applies to illegal immigrants, many of whom, like the American citizens in the county jail, are human beings who made a mistake (or were unlucky) and would be much better off working a job and spending time with family than sitting in jail twiddling their thumbs at taxpayers expense.

Stephen Flynn (Fri Nov 30 04:10:59 2007)

Just so you know Stephen, in the case I mentioned, the guy was on work release and paid his Huber fees with cash, as opposed to the more typical garnishing of wages through his employer - which of course serves as a doublecheck that the inmate is working. Following that tip-off, Lt. Yow further checked the man's documentation and only at that time learned he was in this country illegally on top of the serious crime he had committed that brought him to jail in the first place. His being shipped to ICE had nothing to do with the color of his skin.

I agree with you on folks in jail - I'm not convinced they all need to be there, though am not a sociologist and as such, don't feel comfortable recommending specifics as an alternative.

Jo E. (Fri Nov 30 08:43:03 2007)

I think you have to start a profile somewhere. How else do you start looking for people that do not belong here?

In our small community hundreds of illegal aliens makes a huge impact. Kagen might not think so based on where he just came from. Too bad he was not able to adjust his global positioning system and understand that he was back in the Fox Cities. Good news to see that Yow is focused on an attempt to curtail this. Bad news that Kagen kicked him in the gut and tossed him overboard at the meeting. Good work Yow. Keep it up. It means alot to us.

Mike (Fri Nov 30 10:33:37 2007)

In a Post-Crescent interview Ron Yow was specifically asked what criteria he used to check out certain inmates as to whether they were legal or not.

His answer was very succinct. "I check them all," he said. In other words, if you come into his jail as an inmate, you're checked out as to whether you're a legal resident of this country.

Good for Ron Yow. It's a great idea.

I do have to question why people who have broken parole by drinking beer and go back to jail are to be felt sorry for.

First, they've broken the law, whether misdemeanor or felony and then when released, don't keep to the rules of their parole. That sounds to me like those who can't ever keep on the right side of the law. I'd prefer them on the inside rather than on the outside.

C.R. Stevenson (Fri Nov 30 22:24:43 2007)

I think H.R. 4088 (the "SAFE act") is tremendously tough and would, if properly funded, have the intended effect. I read much of it. What concerns me is how tough the act is. I was at the immigration forum and learned lots about the complexity of the immigration issue and how it really isn't a huge problem here in NE Wisconsin. The act would rightly so require SSN vetting at the employer's site and in real time, but doesn't fund SSA for improving the database. This is the root of the immigration problem-Demand. The act would however (sec.141) make anyone who knowingly harbors an illegal alien subject to criminal prosecution. I don't think this is the kind of country we want where illegal aliens are left to die in the desert or hunted down like dogs in the night when they (mostly) are here to work at jobs readily provide by willing and sometimes exploitative employers.

dave allen (Sun Dec 02 14:02:17 2007)

I agree, SAFE seems to be a good start. But two areas need a critical look, now apparently addressed via the "anti-harboring" paragraphs of which you write.
So Dave:
1. How will coming down hard on corporations (which I agree, the DEMAND piece must be addressed) impact the now-screwed-up system of legal entry into the country?
2. What should the nation do about the 12 million (?) immigrants now in this country? Would the word for whatever action you suggest be "amnesty?"

Jo E. (Sun Dec 02 14:18:33 2007)

Most of those who are here illegally are here for the same reasons that people continue to try to enter. Jobs. They were invited in so to speak and they have legal children here. Not only would it be impossible to find them all and build enough jails to hold them but the scene of a mother being torn from her nursing child (which has in fact happened) would be repeated thousands of times over. We are not a jack booted state (yet) but would be so if illegals were all hunted down and deported. If this were to be so we should also track these persons employment histories and prosecute the employers. After all they were part of this bargain weren't they? No, we should not attempt to rid this country of otherwise law abiding illegal immigrants. But the valid elements of HR4088 (pardon me but I hate the acronyms on legislation as they are often Orwellian in their real intent)will in my opinion really stem the new tide of illegals and that is the best we can or should reasonably hope for. We should all keep in mind that there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty of the economic benefit or cost of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are not a huge drain on our economy. Therefore the only argument that can be made is the argument that they are illegal and should not be so. That may be true but I don't think we should sacrifice our national character and treasure in a blind and ruthless pursuit of 12 million people whose only crime was that they are hardworking but illegal human beings. Call my position what you want but labeling positions like mine doesn't do anything positive to discuss the complex, practical and human compassion aspects of illegal immigration.

dave allen (Mon Dec 03 07:58:49 2007)

Dave, your position is being "called" anything. Just a simple question (again). What would you do with the 12 million (?) illegal immigrants now in this country?

Jo E. (Mon Dec 03 08:08:25 2007)

Laws are laws. We shouldn't pick and choose which ones we enforce. It seems as though we are giving this issue enough attention that something will get accomplished. Although it seems like not everything. I would be happy at this point if we just totally stopped the influx and made the 12 million legal. Forget about deporting them. Give them amnesty if and only if we have a working plan to stop more from infiltrating our country. It seems like deporting at this point is behind us. Cut our losses, focus on the influx.

Mike (Mon Dec 03 08:31:09 2007)

Jo, What would you do with the 12 million?

dave allen (Mon Dec 03 14:39:08 2007)

Mike
"Laws are laws. We shouldn't pick and choose which ones we enforce"

In a perfect world this would be true. In the world we've got this is not practical; we have too many laws on the books. Enforcing all of them - from the local laws on up to Federal - would be a huge waste of time.

C.R. Stevenson
" do have to question why people who have broken parole by drinking beer and go back to jail are to be felt sorry for."

One doesn't have to feel sorry for them to recognize there might be better ways to handle the offense.

Dave Allen
"Illegal immigrants are not a huge drain on our economy. "

This is true overall, and generally true for NE Wisconsin.

Local areas with a large percentage of illegals can be affected and see a huge drain. Southern California for example has had to shut down emergency rooms; the cited reason was illegal aliens using ER as primary care.

If passions on this issue seem intense it is because we're seeing pale reflections from other parts of the country where illegal aliens have a large negative cultural and economic impact.

Brian (Mon Dec 03 11:23:40 2007)

Hey, you're supposed to answer MY questions! I would legalize pursuant to:

VERY secure borders
Sensible immigration policy, i.e., enough work permits available for the number of workers needed.
Some sort of buy-back/penalty conditions satisfied, i.e., legal fees, permit fees, etc., as contained in a number of the iimmigration packages that haven't yet passed muster.

Jo E. (Mon Dec 03 16:15:37 2007)

Well, I suppose we have lots of common ground if you agree that the rage against the 12 million cannot be solved by simply rounding them up and deporting them or throwing them in prison. The devil as always is in the details but details don't make good sound bites (or votes).

dave allen (Tue Dec 04 07:20:33 2007)

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