Arizonans spoke out, and a law was passed

DID THE MURDER OF THE ARIZONA RANCHER PUSH THE ARIZONA IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT LAW OVER THE FINISH LINE?

by Debra Mullins

(May 7, 2010) — On Saturday, March 28, 2010, 58-year-old rancher Robert Krentz was found shot to death on his 34,000-acre ranch located 35 miles outside of Douglas, AZ, a border town located just north of the Arizona/Mexico border. Mr. Krentz was out tending fences and water lines when the incident occurred. According to a March 30, 2010 news report by The Arizona Republic, Krentz radioed his brother Phil between 10:00 and 10:30 AM a garbled message signaling he was injured by illegal immigrants. Phil Krentz notified authorities and a search for Robert was launched immediately. His body and his mortally-wounded dog were found shortly after midnight on Sunday, March 29. With the use of tracking dogs, investigators traced the murderer back to the Mexico border, which further fueled speculation that Krentz’s murderer is an illegal alien and quite possibly, a scout for a drug cartel. The identity of the murderer is unknown, and he still remains at large.

It was also reported that Phil Krentz had notified border patrol agents of possible illegal activity just a day before the murder occurred. Agents stopped a caravan of illegal aliens in possession of 290 pounds of marijuana, thus raising the suspicion that his brother’s murder may have been carried out in retaliation.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had requested Washington to deploy National Guard troops along her state’s border with Mexico.   Her statement reads, in part:  “I made my initial request for additional troops to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on March 11, 2009, followed by a joint letter from four border governors to congressional leaders on April 22, 2009.  Since then, federal officials have neither denied the request, nor fulfilled it.”

At a March 31, 2010 gathering sponsored by the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, fellow ranchers took to the microphone to voice their frustrations over the federal government’s lack of response to the illegal immigration crisis.

As previously reported at The Post and Email, the Arizona legislature narrowly passed SB1070 which requires AZ Law Enforcement to detain persons it comes in contact with if authorities have reasonable suspicion such persons are residing in the United States illegally. The controversial bill also included provisions for increased civil and criminal penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens and for persons who knowingly transport or harbor illegals. SB1070 was signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer on April 23, 2010, and it goes into effect on July 29, 2010.

Mr. Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have all publicly denounced the Arizona law and have indicated that the federal government may challenge its constitutionality on the basis that the law is the equivalent of racial profiling and could lead to civil rights violations.

During Wednesday night’s Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, Mr. Obama stated:

We can’t start singling out people because of who they look like, or how they talk, or how they dress…We can’t turn law-abiding American citizens, and law-abiding immigrants, into subjects of suspicion and abuse.

During a press conference held on Tuesday, April 26, 2010, Holder called the new law “unfortunate” and also stated he was worried it could lead to potential abuse and create a wedge between law enforcement and the community.

On April 27, 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, stating that the administration has “deep concerns with the law from the law enforcement perspective,” and the law “will detract from resources that we need to focus on those on the country illegally — who are those who have committed the most serious crimes.” Ms. Napolitano also offered as part of her testimony: “The border is as secure as it has ever been.”

The testimony offered by Arizona residents to the Senate Committee at Whole roughly two weeks prior to the passage of the bill paints an entirely different picture. In a letter published on May 1, 2010, AZ State Senator Sylvia Allen went on the record as to why she voted in favor of the bill. She described the details of the testimony offered, the lack of action taken by the federal government, and her concerns regarding the potential political motive behind it.

Her letter states, in part:

The people who live within 60 to 80 miles of the Arizona/Mexico Border have for years been terrorized and have pleaded for help to stop the daily invasion of humans who cross their property. One Rancher testified that 300 to 1200 people a DAY come across his ranch vandalizing his property, stealing his vehicles and property, cutting down his fences, and leaving trash. In the last two years he has found 17 dead bodies and two Koran bibles.

The leftist media has distorted what SB 1070 will do…The ACLU and the leftist courts will do everything to protect those who are here illegally, but it was an effort to try and stop illegals from setting up businesses, and employment, and receiving state services and give the ability to local law enforcement when there is probable cause, like a traffic stop, to determine if they are here legally…The Socialists who are in power in DC are angry because we dare try and do something. The Socialists wants us to just let them come. They want the “Transformation” to continue.

The rest of Senator Allen’s letter can be found here.

A recent IBD/TIPP poll indicates that a solid majority of Americans (60%) support the new AZ law; only 30% of Americans are opposed to it.