A New Hampshire judge has decided to "bundle" the two cases of illegal aliens being arrested for criminal trespass, determining that the cases are similar enough.
One of the lawyers representing one of the illegal aliens (caught driving an unregistered vehicle without a driver's license, by the way) praised the judge's decision. Attorney Randall Drew said that "Hopefully, the judge's ruling in these hearings will prevent any additional unlawful arrests of undocumented aliens."
Mr. Drew's comment does not fill me with great confidence in the legal profession. His client was arrested for several reasons, as cited above. The fact that he was an illegal alien was mere ICEing on the cake (if you'll pardon the pun), and the result of an intelligent chief of police getting fed up with the feds (if you'll forgive another pun) shirking their Constitutional duty to enforce the law. Chief W. Garrett Chamberlain of New Ipswich was the first to think of charging illegal aliens under New Hampshire's Criminal Trespass statute, and he's been widely applauded for his idea.
I'm no lawyer (as has been pointed out by both me and numerous commenters), but my own common sense tells me that our lack of border security is one of the greatest threats we face. And while I understand the concept of limits on police on what laws they can and cannot enforce, any officer who discovers a crime can and should immediately stop that crime and arrest the criminal.
If I ever end up in trouble with the law and need an attorney, I hope I find one more clued-in than Mr. Drew. Providing his client with a rigorous defense is one thing, but to spout such silliness as "unlawful arrest of undocumented aliens" gives his credibility (at least, with me) a severe hit.
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Comments (2)
...unlawful arrests of u... (Below threshold)1. Posted by McGehee | July 31, 2005 1:56 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
...unlawful arrests of undocumented aliens...
That phrase is, as Dodd might say, "self-annihilating."
1. Posted by McGehee | July 31, 2005 1:56 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 31, 2005 13:56
2. Posted by Ken | July 31, 2005 5:02 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The mere fact that the judge bundled the cases is an omen.
If the judge regarded these as criminal cases they would not be bundled - just tried on the facts.
The bundling means the judge has already decided that the aliens are not like legal residents and may be entitled to ignore laws.
2. Posted by Ken | July 31, 2005 5:02 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 31, 2005 17:02