Detain Illegal aliens=go to jail!

[CentralTexas]

Man arrested, accused of holding immigrants at gunpoint

The Arizona Republic
Apr. 11, 2005 10:20 PM

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested a Mesa man on suspicion of aggravated assault early Monday after he reportedly held seven undocumented immigrants at gunpoint when he spotted the group at a highway rest stop in Gila Bend.

Patrick Haab, 24, reportedly ordered the group to lay on the ground and threatened to shoot them while he waited for U.S. Border Patrol agents to arrive, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. There is no indication that Haab, an Army reservist assigned to a special forces unit, is affiliated with any groups such as the volunteer Minuteman Project in southern Arizona. Haab declined to discuss the incident with sheriff's investigators.

The group of immigrants had emerged from some bushes near a rest stop along Interstate 8 when Haab spotted them getting into a truck. While detaining the group, Haab handed another gun to a man at the rest stop and asked for his assistance until federal agents arrived, Arpaio said. The unidentified individual left the scene and sheriff's detectives were still trying to identify him late Monday.

- David J. Cieslak

 

[Brett Bellmore]

Not to put to fine a point on it, you detain at gun point somebody who's on public property, and who you didn't see committing a violent crime, you should expect to go to jail. Apparently nobody is disputing that they were illegal immigrants, but how the heck did Haab know for certain that they weren't just "swarthy" looking hikers?

 

[dolanp]

Yeah I'm afraid that unless they are on your property (or threatening your life) this kind of action will only get your arse into hot water.

 

[HankB]

. . . he reportedly held seven undocumented immigrants . . .

The bleeping term is ILLEGAL ALIENS!!! :banghead:

Calling them "undocumented immigrants" makes it sound like they misplaced a passport or something.

 

[beerslurpy]

I thought that illegal entry into the country was a felony. I mean, there is a 10,000 dollar fine and everything. Oh right, those rules only apply to white people.

He should have just shot them and departed the scene. I mean, if theyre really undocumented, who will miss them?

 

[CentralTexas]

If this had been 2 weeks after 911

would the outcome have been different? I think it would have....
CT

 

[MikeIsaj]

Another good argument for training before you carry. The sad thing is, here's a guy who apparently guessed right and with the best of intentions, committed a felony because he did not know the law. Hopefully "Sheriff Joe" will do his best to minimise the damage for this young man. I'd love to see how this plays out.

 

[TallPine]

Whose side are the Maricopa County sheriff deputies on, anyway ...?

 

[Bear Gulch]

Joe's got to enforce the law. We have a legal system and that's a poor substitute for a justice system.

 

[Old Fuff]

He may be charged, but if it goes to trial it will be very hard to get a conviction. At least 1 out of 12 jury members will hang it.

 

[EghtySx]

Whose side are the Maricopa County sheriff deputies on, anyway ...?

Read the sheriff's name again.

 

[TallPine]

Well, my understanding is that a citizens arrest is legal if the detained person(s) did in fact commit a crime.

I see no indication in the article quoted that the "immigrants" were just a troop of Boy Scouts from south Phoenix

 

[River Wraith]

Well, since illegal immigrants are ILLEGAL I would think they should give the guy a commendation, not arrest him.

 

[2nd Amendment]

I wonder if the various "authorities" involved in this entire broad issue understand that what they are slowly doing is creating the same attitude towards illegals that people have toward the Endgangered Species Act: Shoot, shovel and shaddup... Before someone jumps me for "saying something nasty", don't shoot the messenger. It IS heading that way and the biggest culprit is not Citizens, nor even most of the Illegals, it's governments who encourage and/or fail to deal with the invasion itself.

 

[sturmruger]

I know in MN you can do a citizens arrest. You can even use lethal force if need be, but you will be hard pressed to find anyone stupid enought try it. You are just asking for legal trouble if you try it.

I feel bad for this guy.

 

[Gordon]

#1 how did he get arrested? When the deputies he called arrived?
So sherrif joe gives our SF vet pink underwear and a hot tent, while the felony invaders get what- a hotel and freemedical ect?
If this keeps up I think the Final War between left (who caused this problem-including 'moderate' republicrats)& the sane right is coming soon. Or maybe Jesus will straighten it all out after we beat or guns into plowshares!

 

[rick_reno]

Calling them "undocumented immigrants" makes it sound like they misplaced a passport or something

Don't worry, our President - and his good friend, President Fox - have a plan to fix this up.

 

[Brian Dale]

EghtySx,

Read the sheriff's name again.

A lot of Americans who are furious about illegal aliens and current government failure to enforce the laws about them -- guess what? -- have Spanish surnames. I've met quite a few.

That was unnecessary.

 

[2nd Amendment]

I don't believe the reference to his name had anything to do with its Spanish(or lack thereof) history:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=128516&highlight=Sheriff+Joe+Arpaio

Among many references...

 

[El Tejon]

You mean if you use a firearm against fellow human beings there may be consequences to your actions?

That's not what they told me at the gun shoppe. Too bad he didn't do this in some pro-gun place like Arizona. There they would have given him a medal.

 

[longeyes]

Nature abhors a vacuum. That includes mental and moral vacuums. This problem will be solved but the solution may prove ugly. For that the U.S. Government can hold itself fully responsible.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Well, since illegal immigrants are ILLEGAL I would think they should give the guy a commendation, not arrest him.

I would; I'd also offer a bounty system: $100 for every illegal alien turned in, funds to be recycled from very stiff fines for employers who hire the vermin.

 

[jefnvk]

I'm not going to side with the guy unless he had proff before hand that they were illegals. If I see a boat with Arab looking people landing on American shores in the Great Lakes, I am not going to detain them.

Had he watched them cross the border, however, it would be different. But for them to come into a rest area from teh woods is not proof.

 

[Talon]

This is un-friggin-believable. What, pray tell, is the difference here, from the Minuteman Project? This guy sees suspected illegal, and detains them, and calls the authorities. Apparently it's not being disputed that they were illegal (as in, you know, here AGAINST THE LAW AND IN THE ACT OF COMMITTING THE CRIME OF BEING HERE ILLEGALLY!), so tell me how this guy did anything but his civil duty?

 

[Bear Gulch]

MM are reporting and observing, not detaining. That gets into the kidnapping area really quick. Especially once guns start getting waved around.