Previously incarcerated illegal immigrant murders mother of five
By now, you're probably aware of the story of two illegal immigrants who went on a carjacking spree in Houston. The final attempt ended with the murder of a mother of five - she didn't want her car taken because her baby was in the back seat. Toward the end of the Chronicle's story we learn:
Escoto was taken into custody early Friday morning at the same complex on unrelated traffic charges.
"He's been cooperative," Denholm said.
Escoto, wearing a face mask due to a tuberculosis infection, was led from sheriff's offices, ducking from reporters who asked about Rios' whereabouts and why Davila was killed.
His only response was a one-finger gesture.
Escoto was arrested in September for trespassing and served 75 days in jail.
Rios was charged with possession of marijuana in May 2007 and served 10 days in jail. In June 2007 he was charged with criminal mischief and failure to identify himself to a police officer and served 30 days in jail.
Were those previous run-ins with the law at the city-level or county-level? For years the city of Houston has had an unofficial sanctuary policy in place. It was modified in late 2006 following the outcry over the murder of an HPD officer by an illegal alien. Harris County's position isn't clear, except for this story from earlier this year:
Harris County would be the first law enforcement agency in Texas to receive training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, joining 34 departments from Florida to California that have undergone the training. Thomas announced Friday that he authorized his department to pursue the program.
The training would give employees the ability to interview inmates more thoroughly about their immigration status and authorize them to detain those in the country illegally.
Bottom line is these two thugs had previously been in police custody, and it appears they were not identified as being in this country illegally. After serving their time, they were let go, free to terrorize local citizens, and in this case, murder a mother of five.
Is it time for that debate yet?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/20/08 12:36 PM | Houston Miscellany | Print | Comments (3)
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