We hope that someone will send this to the sheriff of Cherokee County Georgia.

287(G) Training Could Have Prevented a Tragedy in Herndon, Virginia

HERNDON, Va., Dec. 20, 2006

The following is a statement issued by HelpSaveHerndon:

For Jose Santos Sibrian Espinoza, the prime suspect in the November hit and run killing of Joseph Passarelli of Herndon, run-ins with the law were a frequent occurrence.

Court records for the Counties of Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William show that Sibrian Espinoza had a combined total of 21 cases within the last 6 years within those jurisdictions. The charges ranged from Driving without a valid operator license, 7 separate incidents, to a DWI conviction. Throw in a myriad of other traffic related offenses such as excessive speeding and failure to obey highway signs, add a trespassing charge whose
adjudication was a deferred dismissal and you will have a more complete picture of the person suspected of killing Herndon citizen Joseph Passarelli.

What makes the actions of Sibrian Espinoza so egregious is that Sibrian Espinoza was deported before being brought to justice.

The Passarelli family must now endure what could be months of anguish before the killer of their beloved husband and father is brought to justice, if the government of El Salvador cooperates and allows him to be
extradited.

More painful, is the fact that this death was one that could have beenprevented had the necessary tools been in place for each of the police departments in the jurisdictions Sibrian Espinoza was charged with an
infraction.

The time is now that each of the police departments in the northern Virginia area should work with ICE to be trained in accordance with the Section 287G of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This training would
have enabled any of the police departments who brought any of the 21 charges against Sibrian Espinoza within the last 6 years to check immigration status, and begin the procedure to remove a repeat offender
from the streets.

Had this occurred before that day in November, one more needless death would not have occurred.

The police departments in each of those jurisdictions are hardly to blame for this tragedy. They did the jobs they are charged with and admirably so.

Blame is shared equally by those jurisdictions that turn a blind eye to illegal immigration, our federal and state governments, and our court system.

Our federal government is not doing enough to stop illegal immigration at the source. Herndon and Fairfax County are both complicit with enabling people like Sibrian Espinoza to find the means to earn a living while
flouting our immigration laws.

As far as the courts are concerned, in the case of Sibrian Espinoza there were 7 charges for driving without an operator’s license or driving on a suspended license from 2002 through 2006. There were 4 convictions for
these charges and court records show that the fine for each occurrence decreased for each subsequent offense.

The message our court system and our elected officials are sending to criminals such as Sibrian Espinoza is loud and clear. It’s now time that we ask our elected officials to change the message.

Here is what Cherokee County [Ga.] Sheriff Garrison had to say earlier this month about using 287 g authority to keep illegal aliens off the streets of his county:

Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison said identity theft is a general problem in the county, but not specific to the Hispanic population.

He said he is not in favor of implementing section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows local law enforcement agencies to have officers trained and authorized to identify, process and detain immigration offenders. The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners last month requested Garrison look into the program.

“There is no time frame from ICE as to when they will be deported once they are identified,” he said. “They will continue to sit in jail and have their health care and meals and board paid for. I think that is wrong.”>