Saturday, September 22, 2012

California: A black father whose son was murdered execution-style in 2008 by a Hispanic illegal immigrant gangster has launched a campaign to persuade Gov. Jerry Brown to veto a bill that would have police release illegal immigrants onto the streets even when the feds want them detained

The controversial bill, which passed the legislature in August 2012, would compel local law enforcement in most cases to ignore requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold illegal immigrants if they could otherwise be released. Advocates say that it's a way for police to build "trust" with local communities - the name of the bill is the TRUST Act. But opponents warn the policy could have dangerous consequences. The bill "will have real and potentially devastating consequences for people across our state," Jamiel Shaw Sr., whose 17-year-old son was killed, said in a statement. Shaw separately put out a web video appealing to Brown to reject the bill. "Would you want that to happen to your son? ... How many have to die by people being let out into the streets from the county jail that should be deported," he said in the video. "No one should have to go through losing a child." Shaw's son Jamiel Shaw Jr., a high school football player, was killed in 2008 by a member of the 18th Street Gang hours after he had been released from a local jail. Pedro Espinoza was found guilty of the murder, in which he shot Shaw twice after mistaking him for a rival gang member. A jury recommended the death penalty for Espinoza earlier in 2012. Bob Dane, a spokesman at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said that California would be opening the door to a rampant public safety threat - as well as additional financial burden on the state - if the governor lets the bill become law. He noted that Brown could opt to take no action on the bill, allowing it to become law by default. "It's the perfect storm for complete lawlessness," he said, saying that the state would be rolling out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants and become even more of a magnet. "This is not the work of responsible custodians of the public trust," he said.

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