Lax Immigration Enforcement Shielded Killer of California Deputies

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Immigration Studies finds that layers of lax immigration enforcement protected the man accused in Friday's horrific killing and carjacking spree near Sacramento, Calif., which resulted in the deaths of two sheriff's deputies and the wounding of another sheriff and one or two car-jacking victims.

Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte, the accused killer, is reportedly a citizen of Mexico who was deported twice and re-entered twice, eventually marrying Janelle Marquez Monroy, who is reported to be a U.S. citizen. ICE identified Monroy through the Secure Communities fingerprint-sharing program after he provided local authorities with an alias and fake identification. ICE states that Monroy's first deportation came after a conviction in Arizona for possession of narcotics for sale. Photographs from what is reported to be Monroy's Facebook page indicate that he may be a member of the Mexican Pride gang and associated with the Sinaloa drug cartel. News accounts say that Monroy had more than 10 convictions for traffic crimes and infractions and three small claims court filings against him for outstanding debt, some under an alias, all in Utah, where he has lived in recent years in the Salt Lake City area.

• Deported aliens regularly return over porous land borders. The Center's analysis of ICE deportation records from 2013 find that a significant share of the immigration enforcement workload is removing criminals who have been deported before.
• 60 percent of aliens deported by ICE in 2013 had been deported before.
• Of these previously deported aliens, 68% had criminal convictions.
• 70 percent of all convicted criminals deported by ICE in 2013 had been deported before.
• Due to lawsuits supported by the Obama administration, Utah only recently has been able to move toward implementing state laws that enable local police officers to investigate immigration status of aliens encountered in policing, as in Arizona and other states. Had such policies been in place sooner, Monroy might have been removed again following his traffic crime convictions.
• ICE efforts to identify and remove foreign gang members have slacked off 20 percent in the last year. In addition, other administration policies restrict ICE officers from arresting and detaining gang members, and allow more gang members to obtain legal status.

View the Center's analysis at: http://cis.org/vaughan/lax-immigration-policies-may-have-shielded-killer-california-deputies

Jessica Vaughan, the Center's Director of Policy Studies, commented, "This case illustrates how local police might have assisted ICE in removing a criminal alien recidivist by taking steps to properly identify aliens they encounter who are breaking local laws. If they had, Monroy might have been removed years ago. In addition, local authorities should not hesitate to target criminal aliens for other offenses, such as identity theft and traffic crimes. This makes life more difficult for criminal gangs that plague our communities."

Many questions remain for ICE and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department:

1. Has Luis Monroy-Bracamonte had other encounters with immigration authorities since his removal in 2001?
2. What are the circumstances of his 2001 removal? Did it follow another arrest, and which agency made that arrest?
3. Did Janelle Marquez Monroy-Bracamonte (or anyone else) seek to sponsor Luis for a green card? Has he received any immigration benefit or exercise of prosecutorial discretion?
4. Law enforcement agencies should be asked to disclose Monroy-Bracamonte's entire criminal history and record of civil infractions and charges.
5. Does Janelle Monroy-Bracamonte have a criminal history?
6. What identification documents did Monroy-Bracamonte provide to the officers who arrested him? Did they include a legally issued driver's license that he obtained in Utah or another state? Or did he use fraudulent documents?
7. Did any Utah law enforcement officers ever inquire or investigate his identity or immigration status? If so, was he referred to ICE?

The answers to these questions may guide lawmakers and local law enforcement agencies to adopt, or reinstate, more effective enforcement practices that prioritize public safety over protecting criminal aliens.

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization founded in 1985. It is the nation's only think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States.

Contact: Marguerite Telford 
[email protected], 202-466-8185

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SOURCE Center for Immigration Studies

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