Jessica Colotl: The open borders/illegal alien lobby finds a new victim of geography.For those who have not been following the case of the latest victim of borders and immigration laws here in Georgia, see HERE for background.

Illegal KSU student: ‘messed-up system’ (Note from D.A.- she means becasue we have borders and immigration laws)
by Kathryn Dobies and Jon Gillooly
May 15, 2010

ATLANTA – Following her second arrest and release from jail, Kennesaw State University student and illegal immigrant Jessica Colotl said Friday that she wasn’t a criminal and was surprised to be caught up in an immigration battle that she said she perceives to be the result of a “messed-up system.” “I’m just hoping for the best and I really believe that something positive should come out of this, probably an immigration reform or at least the Dream Act, which would help this sentence,” Colotl said. Before a lively crowd of supporters at …

HERE
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KSU still sidesteps questions
by Kim Isaza

KENNESAW – Kennesaw State University officials issued a new position statement Friday on the Jessica Colotl case, sidestepping written questions the Journal submitted to President Dr. Dan Papp.

The president has had several media requests for interviews this week regarding Colotl, an illegal immigrant attending KSU, and is unable to grant them, said Arlethia Perry-Johnson, special assistant to the president.

“The immigration debate is volatile and center stage in our nation. However, KSU’s administration will not become embroiled in that debate. Our focus has been and remains on ensuring that we are in full compliance with all Board of Regents’ policies that address the classification of undocumented students,” according to the unsigned position statement sent by Perry-Johnson.

The statement also reiterated the school’s actions on Colotl’s behalf.

“The university attorney attempted to ascertain Ms. Colotl’s legal status and contacted her country’s consular officials and her attorney; she NEVER offered legal advice of any sort; The university’s chief student affairs officer contacted Ms. Colotl’s sorority sisters – who were speaking to the media on her behalf – to ascertain her status, and to inquire as to what assistance could be provided regarding her matriculation, etc.; and KSU’s president wrote a letter to the judge, asking that ‘WITHIN THE LETTER OF THE LAW,’ Ms. Colotl be permitted to complete her studies at KSU,” according to the statement.

“Since learning of Ms. Colotl’s immigration status, KSU’s administration has determined that she must be, and will be, charged out-of-state tuition rates for any future courses in which she enrolls at the university. There also has been conjecture regarding whether or not undocumented students at KSU receive either federal or state financial aid. For the record, neither form of aid is afforded to undocumented students at KSU,” according to the statement.

Among the questions the Journal had asked Papp is why public employees expended any time or effort assisting an illegal immigrant, and whether Colotl would be allowed to finish her spring-semester classes.

Federal law says post-secondary education is a public benefit, and illegal immigrants are not eligible for public benefits. But the statement issued Friday by KSU references Regents policy rather than federal law, and D.A. King, an anti-illegal immigrant activist says that is wrong.

The Board of Regents sets policy for the 35 public colleges in the University System of Georgia.

“The Board of Regents allowing an illegal alien into our publicly funded post-secondary education system is a violation of both federal and state law,” said King, who is considering initiating lawsuits in both federal and state courts against the Board of Regents, including seeking a temporary restraining order to stop all admissions until the Regents comes into compliance. HERE
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Activists go after Cobb sheriff, say actions politically motivated
by By Kathryn Dobies and Jon Gillooly
May 15, 2010 12:00 AM

ATLANTA – Immigration activists at Jessica Colotl’s Friday press conference called for Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren’s resignation and went after several local and state politicians.

Activists and members of human rights groups joined Colotl – an illegal immigrant and Kennesaw State University student – and denounced Warren’s recent actions, calling them politically motivated.

“It’s really unfortunate that her family has been used by ‘Wild West Warren’ for a political ploy to score political points,” said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director for the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. “It’s shameful that a law enforcement official would use the rule of law and the authority given to him by Cobb County voters to abuse that power and to create a massive manhunt for a college student, a non criminal.”

Warren maintains that he was enforcing the law, as is his duty under oath, and was not encouraged by anyone to pursue the situation.

Colotl, 21, was stopped on KSU campus March 29 for a traffic violation and later arrested for driving without a valid license. After Colotl was booked into Cobb Jail, she was turned over to immigration authorities. She was taken to the Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, Ala., on April 1, but was released May 5. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities agreed to defer any action against her for one year so she could return to her studies at the university.

On Wednesday evening, however, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for Colotl on a felony charge of lying to law-enforcement officials, based on a reportedly false address she provided upon her book-in at the Cobb County Jail in March. On Friday morning, Colotl turned herself into Cobb authorities and was released on a $2,500 bond.

Rich Pellegrino, of Cobb Immigrant Alliance, said his group would soon be asking for Warren’s resignation.

“Next week we will be releasing information we have documented proof that Sheriff Neil Warren has been selectively enforcing the law, looking to the side when other people have identity issues, other people who are friends of his have identity documents, false documents, we will be releasing that next week and calling for the resignation and removal of Sheriff Neil Warren,” Pellegrino said.

Gonzalez even called for President Barack Obama to step in, asking him to take away an agreement, known as 287(g), which Cobb County has with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to check the immigration status of everyone booked into the county jail. The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office was the first agency in Georgia to participate in 287(g). Since July 2007, Warren’s office has identified more than 6,600 inmates who were in the United States illegally. Warren signed a new 287(g) agreement in October 2009.

In defense of his latest actions, Warren said Friday that his staff went to the Duluth address that Colotl provided to his department during her first book-in and met with the manager of Century Park Apartments, only to find that Colotl did not live there.

“I have all the confidence in the world that my investigators did a thorough investigation,” Warren said. “And they presented a case to the magistrate, and the magistrate judge felt there was probable cause to issue the warrant. So it’s time for us to let the courts and the judge decide … We started getting calls and I felt obligated to look into it. I did not have any encouragement to do anything.”

Warren said he has no intentions of resigning.

Regarding Colotl’s late March booking in Cobb Jail and the tools used to determine the status of an inmate, Warren said, “some may think it is unfortunate that minor offenders are caught in the 287(g) net; but I value any tool that helps me enforce the law and remove violators from our community. Georgia law establishes legal criteria for every potential offender, from traffic violations thru capital felony murder. Often individuals have different perceptions or personal definitions of criminal activity. I follow the Georgia Code and enforce those statutes. That is my oath of office and duty to the citizens of Cobb County.”

Following Friday’s press conference, Christopher Taylor, Colotl’s attorney, was critical of the Journal for its reporting, saying the Journal was responsible for Colotl’s second arrest.

“I believe the Marietta Daily Journal and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office misreported this issue,” Taylor said. “I’ve got a problem with the Marietta Daily Journal … Reporting that she gave a false address caused a fire storm.”

However, the Journal brought Colotl’s story to light on May 1 because her friends and sorority sisters from Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority reached out to the newspaper, asking for coverage of a march for Colotl at the state Capitol.

In an attempt to contact Colotl, the Journal called her previous attorney, Kazuma Sonoda, of the Sonoda Law Firm, sent her a message via Facebook and finally went to the Duluth address she provided to authorities on May 7. At the address, a woman answered and said she still receives mail for Colotl, but has never met the KSU student.

Taking jabs at politicians Friday, Gonzalez said, “(Former) state Rep. Nathan Deal has said he wants to bring Arizona along to Georgia as governor. (Former) state Sen. Eric Johnson wants to ban access to college education to deserving students like Jessica. They want to kick them out of school. Is that the kind of Georgia that we want?”

Johnson, a Republican candidate for governor, on Friday challenged a statement from the chancellor of the University System of Georgia that it would be too costly to require verifying citizenship when a student goes through the admissions process.

“This is a typical bureaucratic response. First and foremost, we cannot afford to simply ignore the law, and it is unacceptable to brazenly dismiss the responsibility of enforcement,” Johnson said. “… It does not cost a dime to ask for a valid driver’s license, valid passport, or valid student visa.”

KSU officials have said that Colotl was receiving in-state tuition since she graduated from a Georgia high school.

Gonzalez went on to say that Georgia has “no leadership from both of our U.S. senators.”

“Where is Saxby Chambliss and where is Johnny Isakson? Instead of saying no on immigration reform, why are they not working to move forward with a workable solution that moves us together as a nation to uphold our values as a nation? (Isakson) You are up for re-election sir. There are a 160,000 Latinos registered to vote. We are paying attention to this issue,” he said.

In response, Isakson told the Journal, “I have always drawn a clear distinction between legal and illegal immigration, and anyone who comes to our country legally should be welcomed to share in the pursuit of the American dream. At the same time, the defense of our nation begins with securing our borders and ending the opportunity for illegal entry. Our immigration laws must be followed and they must be enforced, and I stand in full support of those who do both.” HERE