2 face human smuggling charges after I-70 stop
(Dayton, Ohio - June 10, 2011)

Mexicans accused of transporting vans full of immigrants.

Two Mexican nationals face federal charges after they were allegedly caught using Interstate 70 in Clark County to smuggle 10 Guatemalans across the country.

Moises Martinez-Garcia and Juan Varillas-Santiago were being held without bond Thursday in the Montgomery County Jail after having been arraigned in U.S. District Court in Dayton, according to Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Ohio.

The case against Martinez-Garcia and Varilla-Santiago marks the second time in four months that alleged smugglers have been caught using I-70 in the Dayton area to deliver multiple illegal immigrants to a predetermined location, Alverson said...[Full Article]

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Twinsburg Police Help Feds Catch Illegal Aliens
(Twinsburg, Ohio - May 10, 2011)

Officers pulled over a van carrying five illegal aliens on April 19

Last month, Twinsburg police assisted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents find illegal aliens living in Twinsburg Township.

On April 19 police met with an ICE special agent who told them federal agents had been watching a house in the township they believed housed illegal aliens. They asked Twinsburg officers to assist in a traffic stop later that day...[Full Article]

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Illegal alien charged with raping toddler in Ohio
(Deerfield Township, Ohio - March 25, 2011)

On Friday, Warren County sheriff’s deputies arrested Alejandro Vasquez-Camargo, 23, after the parents of a 3-year-old girl reported that the illegal alien had sexually attacked their daughter, while babysitting her.

The Mexican national shares a home in Deerfield Township with the girl’s family.

Vasquez-Camargo is charged with rape and gross sexual imposition and is currently being held in the Warren County Jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.

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Suspect in 9-year-old’s rape arrested in Mexico
(Hamilton, Ohio - March 23, 2011)

HAMILTON — It could be as long as a year before Alfredo Lopez Cruz is brought back to the United States to face trial for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old Hamilton girl, Butler County Sheriff’s officials said today, March 23.

Sheriff Richard K. Jones said it could be 6 to 8 months before Cruz, who is being detained in Mexico City, is extradicted to the U.S. But if Cruz, 28, fights extradition, it could take a year or longer, Jones said.

Butler County’s most wanted suspect was apprehended in Mexico on March 18 after evading authorities for more than five years, according to sheriff’s officials.

Jones said Cruz’s identity has been proven. The man — wanted for the kidnapping and rape of a 9-year-old Hamilton girl on Father’s Day 2005 — faces a five-count indictment on rape and kidnapping charges...[Full Article]

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Illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. four times is sent to prison
(March 4, 2011)

DAYTON — A Mexican citizen deported three times from the United States was sentenced Friday to 46 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported...[Full Article]

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Senator Stewart (OH) plans to bring back SB35
(February 6, 2011 - Zanesville, Ohio)

JIMMY STEWART

Sen. Jimmy Stewart, R-Albany, has Muskingum County in his district. Stewart is the majority floor leader in the Senate. He is the vice chairman of the Energy and Public Utilities and Health, Human Services and Aging committees. He also sits on the Agriculture, Finance and Rules and Reference committees.

Stewart isn't the primary sponsor on any legislation yet, but said he has several bills in the pipelines.

Stewart plans to reintroduce a bill from last year that would give local law enforcement more training and resources to deal with illegal immigration. It also would allow Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine to enter into a contract with federal law enforcement on behalf of local police...

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Three men arrested in major marijuana bust

(Columbus, Ohio - January 27, 2011)

...Brothers Arnaldo Ruben Miranda, 25, and Luis Alberto Miranda, 24, along with Hector Ernesto Martinez, 36, were in the Franklin County jail tonight on felony drug-possession charges. Bail was set at $500,085 for each...

...Martinez, of 674 Wellington Blvd. on the North Side, will be turned over to immigration authorities once his criminal case is resolved, though authorities wouldn't say whether he's an illegal immigrant. Arnaldo Miranda also is wanted on a warrant out of Arizona, according to Franklin County jail records.

[Full Article]

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Deported illegal immigrants return repeatedly
(Columbus, Ohio - December 27, 2010)

Federal agents took an illegal immigrant to Grant Medical Center in October 2009 to collect proof of his ties to a Mexican-based drug ring.

During his two-day hospital stay, Jose Aranda-Mora supplied the needed evidence - 92 balloons of heroin that he had swallowed before a traffic stop in Richland County.

Three months earlier, immigration agents had deported Mora to his homeland of Mexico. But the free ride home served as no deterrent. Since 2000, Mora has been deported four times, only to return time and again - most recently to Ohio.

A Dispatch investigation revealed that it is common for deported immigrants to return to the United States despite the threat of felony charges...

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Sheriff Among Toughest On Illegal Immigration
(Hamilton, Ohio - November 10, 2010)

HAMILTON, Ohio -- An area sheriff has been recognized as one of the nation's toughest on illegal immigrants.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones was ranked as America's seventh toughest immigration sheriff by Foxnews.com.

The news website conducted an informal poll of immigration experts, think tanks and law enforcement organizations to compile the rankings...

[Full Article]

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New technology helping to confirm status of arrested immigrants
(November 10, 2010 - Warren County & Clark County, Ohio)

LEBANON — A new partnership with federal authorities is helping law enforcement in Warren and Clark counties use fingerprints to identify the status of immigrants who have been arrested.

The partnership is part of the federal Secure Communities program in which suspects booked into the county jails have their fingerprints reviewed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to identify and remove foreign nationals convicted of crimes in the U.S., in addition to an FBI criminal history check...

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11 Mexican Nationals Arrested in huge Outdoor Marijuana Operation in Ohio (Columbus, Ohio - September 24, 2010)
DEA, BCI and Local Law Enforcement Seize Thousands of plants in two Counties

SEP 24 -- (COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A crew of 11 Mexican nationals, including the alleged ringleader, were arrested yesterday as the result of a three-month-long investigation into outdoor marijuana megafarms. More than 2,500 marijuana plants were seized from these massive outdoor grow operations. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Robert L. Corso made the announcement today.

“It’s rare for investigators to make arrests in these kinds of marijuana growing operations, and to have arrested 11 individuals surprised even the most seasoned of investigators,” said Attorney General Cordray. “I cannot overemphasize the importance of successfully and safely arresting the alleged ringleader of this operation and his crew. It could be instrumental to further understanding and shutting down this cancerous practice that has been spreading to Ohio.”...

[Full Article]

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Illegal aliens indicted on kidnapping and weapons charges (Columbus, Ohio - September 10, 2010)

A federal grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, indicted six illegal aliens on 14-counts alleging conspiracy, hostage taking and gun crimes for abducting a woman and her two-year old daughter in Columbus on December 14 and 15, 2009.

The suspects were captured by members of the Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the Columbus, OH, Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"HSI will continue to work with its local and federal partners to remove dangerous illegal aliens from our communities," said Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Moskowitz. "These charges illustrate that commitment."

The federal indictment charges each of the six defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, hostage taking, six counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and six counts of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien...

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Ten illegal immigrants caught after van stopped (Milan, Ohio - September 10, 2010)

MILAN — Four illegal immigrants ran from a van that was pulled over during a routine traffic stop on the Ohio Turnpike Wednesday, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. Six others were taken into custody as they stayed by the van. All the men, one from Guatemala, one from El Salvador and the rest from Mexico, were all in custody as of 5:30 a.m. yesterday, according to the Border Patrol.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Andy Patterson said agents from the Sandusky Bay Station in a marked border patrol vehicle on the Ohio Turnpike reported a minivan with California plates and 10 people inside driving suspiciously around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. The agents said the people inside the van were visibly avoiding eye contact and slowing down to avoid the patrol vehicle.

“At one point, he (the driver of the van) was doing 35 mph on the Turnpike,” Patterson said. “Two and two just wasn’t adding up to four.”

As agents pulled over the minivan near US 250 the driver and three of the passengers fled from the vehicle, running south through a cornfield. Six of the passengers stayed with the van and were arrested by agents...

[Full Article]

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Ohio will do what it can until federal government tackles immigration reform (Ohio - August 6, 2010)

Across the nation, a fierce debate is raging over illegal immigration, fueled by the recent passage of a law in Arizona which says that if a person is stopped by the police for committing an offense, a law enforcement officer can ask for proof of citizenship if they have reason to believe the person is in the country illegally.

The controversy over this proposal has led to clashes between activists and police in the southwest, sparked heated rhetoric among public officials and other interest groups and incited calls by some for a boycott against travel to Arizona.

This past week, hours before Arizona's new immigration rules were scheduled to officially become law, a U.S. District Court judge blocked a number of key provisions in the bill from taking effect. It is anticipated that the legal battle will not end there, however, and the case could eventually end up before the Supreme Court to decide.

Federal officials maintain it is the federal government's role to govern immigration, not the states. Supporters of Arizona's statute, on the other hand, say these new rules do not subvert federal law, but support it.

Most Americans, including myself, support legal immigration but are concerned about the flood of illegal aliens entering the country on our southern border and its impact on the stability of taxpayer resources and our national security...

[Full Article]

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Ohio considering illegal immigration legislation (Ohio - August 2, 2010)

Across the nation a fierce debate is raging over illegal immigration, fueled by the recent passage of a law in Arizona, which says that if a person is stopped by the police for committing an offense, a law enforcement officer can ask for proof of citizenship if they have reason to believe that the person is in the country illegally.

The controversy over this proposal has led to clashes between activists and police in the southwest, sparked heated rhetoric among public officials and other interest groups and incited calls by some for a boycott against travel to Arizona.

This past week, hours before Arizona's new immigration rules were scheduled to officially become law, a U.S. District Court judge blocked a number of key provisions in the bill from taking effect. It is anticipated that the legal battle will not end there, however, and the case could eventually end up before the Supreme Court to decide.

Federal officials maintain that it is the federal government's role to govern immigration, not the states.

Supporters of Arizona's statute, on the other hand, say these new rules do not subvert federal law, but support it...

[Full Article]

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Immigration reform resolution nixed (Toledo, Ohio - July 20, 2010)

TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) - Toledo Mayor Mike Bell cast a tie-breaking vote that killed a resolution urging the federal government to take up immigration reform.

"Not seeing a majority of people in our community supporting this particular initiative, I thought it was appropriate to vote no," the mayor said...

[Full Article]

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Ohio lawmaker wants to bring Arizona-style immigration law north (Cleveland, Ohio - July 16, 2010)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The immigration issues roiling Arizona came to Cleveland on Friday, stoking passionate discussion, and probably not for the last time.

A forum at the City Club of Cleveland introduced State Rep. Courtney Combs, a downstate Republican who is calling for an Arizona-like crackdown on illegal immigrants in Ohio.

Combs declared illegal immigration a national menace and said states must step in where federal authorities are slow to tread...

[Full Article]

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Illegal Immigration and sanity: Border Patrol in Northern Ohio (Sandusky County, Ohio - July 1, 2010)

If you live in a rural area, particularly one like Sandusky County, Ohio, where labor intensive crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumbers are prime earners for farmers, you are likely aware that large numbers of migrant farm workers travel the country to work the planting and harvest seasons. They preform hard work in return for pay that permits them a lifestyle that I doubt I would enjoy, nor would, I daresay, most of my readers (all three of you). Some of them do not possess the necessary documentation for them to accept money in exchange for services from a local farmer. In other words, they are “illegal” workers.

Before I go any farther, think about that for just a moment. Full grown adults-citizen and non-citizen alike-are legally barred by the State from entering the simplest of contracts. Why? How does this comport with the idea of a “free” country, if people must prove their status before some officious bureaucrat. And you must do that if you are a citizen, or not-if you work “under the table” you are a criminal in the eyes of the State just as much as if you crossed the border illegally. I fail to find a justification for such a thing under any theory of governance (or even lack of governance) that has any likening to individual freedom...

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New Albany Police Chief says Galion restaurateur in US illegally (New Albany, Ohio - June 30, 2010)

On Thursday, June 24, 26-year-old Omar E. Jimenez of 6467 Hillgrove Road, Galion, was arrested along with two other men in a drug bust. All three “aggravated trafficking” suspects are being held on $500,000 bonds in a Franklin County jail.

New Albany Police Chief Mark Chaney said that Jimenez was one of three “major players,” along with Ricardo Rodriguez of New Albany and Cristian Garcia of Westerville, in a cocaine sting operation that led to the arrest of the three men last Thursday. Garcia was the assistant manager at Mexican restaurant Don Patron in New Albany.

“Somehow he (Jimenez) hooked up with these other guys. We’re not sure how… Jimenez and Rodriguez both are not saying anything or cooperating (since their arrests); they’ve invoked their ‘right to remain silent,’” Chaney told the Galion Inquirer on Tuesday...

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Ohio Man Killed During July 4 Fireworks Display (New Philadelphia, Ohio - July 8, 2010)

Oswaldo Quinilla Lux, 23, was shot on Sixth Street, according to police.

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio -- A New Philadelphia, Ohio, man was shot and killed during a July 4 fireworks display, according to police.

Oswaldo Quinilla Lux, 23, was killed at about 2:32 a.m. on Sixth Street in New Philadelphia, according to police.

Lux was shot in the side, and police said the bullet passed through his heart and one lung. The incident happened as people were shooting fireworks.

Josh Tolotti said a man came rushing up to him saying another man had been shot.

"He said, 'Someone shot my friend with fireworks,' and then he said, 'Someone drove past and shot my friend,' " Tolotti said...

[Full Article]

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Restaurateur Sentenced On Illegal-Immigrant Charges (Toledo, Ohio - June 29, 2010)

Norwalk man owned Mexican eatery in Oregon

Ramon J. Ornelas had succeeded in life in the United States by creating a string of Mexican restaurants in northern Ohio and availing himself of the opportunities of his new country, a federal court judge said yesterday.

But his employment of dozens of illegal immigrants and his failure to pay taxes on their incomes required a prison term to serve as both punishment and a deterrent.

Ornelas, 43, of Norwalk, Ohio, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Toledo to one year and one day in prison. He pleaded guilty in February to eight counts of harboring and concealing illegal aliens, three counts of mail fraud, and seven counts of subscribing to a false tax return.

Judge Jack Zouhary sentenced him to one year for each count but ordered that they be served concurrently.

Immigration officials said Ornelas, who had legal permanent resident status, will face a deportation judge after he serves his sentence.

"You pulled yourself up here in America, the land of opportunity, and opened a chain of restaurants. I take that into consideration," Judge Zouhary said. "There is a seriousness to this crime. The government has taken a position on illegal immigration … and my sentence must promote respect for the law."

Federal charges were filed against Ornelas in January. Authorities said search warrants were executed at eight of Ornelas' restaurants in Ohio, which resulted in 58 undocumented Mexican nationals being taken into custody. Ornelas is the principal owner of Casa Fiesta Mexican restaurants in Oregon, Sandusky, Youngstown, Vermilion, Ashland, Norwalk, Fremont, and Oberlin.

In addition to the concealing charges, Ornelas pleaded guilty to filing false federal tax records for not claiming the undocumented workers and therefore underreporting the taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bauer, the amount owed the federal government was $178,000 over a period of three years.

The mail fraud convictions were the result of filing false Ohio Contribution Reports by underpaying $11,124 in taxes due the state for unemployment insurance for those workers he did not report.

Mr. Bauer noted that Ornelas benefited economically from the hiring of undocumented workers and asked the judge to send a message to employers that immigration laws exist and will be enforced.

As part of his sentence, the judge also ordered the forfeiture of $62,546 taken from eight of his restaurants during execution of the July, 2008, search warrant and a Vermilion home he owned where several undocumented workers lived...

[Full Article]

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11 Arrested In Raid On Restaurant (Columbus Dispatch - June 25, 2010)

New Albany police raided a Mexican restaurant last night, arresting its assistant manager on drug charges and 10 other employees on drug or immigration charges.

Police say the bust came after an officer worked undercover as an employee of the restaurant.

Police officers descended on the Don Patron Mexican Restaurant, 9475 Johnstown Rd., at 8:30 p.m.

Four employees were arrested on drug-related charges. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained six other employees, saying they were illegal immigrants...

[Full Article]

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Six Years For Driver In Fatal Crash (Elyria, Ohio - June 22, 2010)

ELYRIA — A six-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban on driving for the man who killed Neil Jalowiec in a drunken driving crash last year wasn’t enough for Jalowiec’s family.

“My dad believed in the system and the system failed him,” Jalowiec’s daughter, Leesha Doehr, said as she and other family members filed out of Lorain Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski’s courtroom in tears on Monday.

Doehr and her family had asked Zaleski to impose the maximum prison sentence of 10 years on Emelio Hernandez Perez, the 24-year-old Mexican national who was behind the wheel of the Jeep Grand Cherokee that plowed into the back of Jalowiec’s Buick LeSabre on Dec. 15.

Perez was at more than twice the legal drinking limit when the crash occurred. Witnesses said he was weaving through traffic and didn’t hit the brakes before slamming into Jalowiec’s vehicle, which was stopped at a traffic light at state Route 57 and West River Road.

Jalowiec died of internal chest and abdominal injuries, while Hernandez Perez was treated and released from the hospital.

“My life is forever changed because of a drunk Mr. Perez, who got behind the wheel of a killing machine and murdered my husband,” Jalowiec’s wife of 42 years, Raeme Jalowiec, said during Monday’s hearing. Her hands shook as she spoke...

[Full Article]

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Lakewood Police Round Up Illegal Roofing Workers (Lakewood, Ohio - June 23, 2010)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Lakewood police took into custody a crew of roofing workers who were illegally in the country.

The incident June 10 might be evidence that storm chasers who swooped into the area after recent hail storms are indeed using undocumented workers as they pick up insurance-funded roofing work. Many roofers have alleged as much.

Officer Joseph Eikens stopped a Dodge Ram truck with Texas plates because its driver and passenger windows were so darkly tinted the officer could not see inside. A companion truck pulled over behind it.

According to the police report, several occupants in both vehicles said that they were in the country illegally and that they were in Lakewood working for Aspen Construction. They gave Aspen's Westlake sales office as their address.

Aspen is headquartered in Missouri but has sales offices across Ohio, according to Vice President Pat Nussbeck.

Nussbeck said that Aspen subcontracted its roofing work to a Louisiana company. Nussbeck said his company requires subcontractors to vouch that their workers are covered by liability insurance and workers' comp and are eligible to work in the United States. Nussbeck said Aspen would press the subcontractor to comply with its contract.

Police handed six people over to U.S. Customs/Border Patrol after the traffic stop.

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City To Push Immigration Reform (Columbus, Ohio - 06/19/2010)

Columbus council readies resolution calling on Congress to enact uniform national policy

Columbus is about to jump back into the immigration debate.

A month after Mayor Michael B. Coleman touched off a nationwide backlash by banning city-worker travel to Arizona, City Council members are poised to endorse immigration reforms that would both tighten U.S. borders and grant legal status to undocumented workers now in the country.

Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares will sponsor a resolution on Monday that calls on Congress to "solve our broken immigration system" and urges federal and state lawmakers to help cities pay for the services they provide for immigrants.

"It's a message to Congress: You are responsible, and all 50 states need uniform immigration policies," Tavares said. "It should be done in a comprehensive way, not a piecemeal way."...

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Radio Station's Giveaway Angers Immigrant Groups (Columbus, Ohio - May 28, 2010)

Immigrant groups are asking a local talk-radio station to apologize for promoting a Phoenix giveaway that it launched after Columbus' mayor suspended city travel to Arizona to protest its new immigration law.

WTVN-AM (610) promoted the giveaway as a trip to Phoenix "where Americans are proud and illegals are scared."

The contest, which ended last night, was designed to capitalize on the maelstrom kicked up by Mayor Michael B. Coleman's decision, said WTVN program director Mike Elliott.

It was the most popular the station has had, he said. About 5,000 people entered the drawing for round-trip airfare to Phoenix, hotel accommodations, a "few pesos" and the opportunity to "spend a weekend chasing aliens and spending cash in the desert."...

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Police Capture Illegal Aliens On Run In Amherst (Amherst, Ohio - May 17, 2010)

AMHERST — All five illegal aliens who fled from a minivan on the Ohio Turnpike in Amherst on Friday have been arrested, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The five men — two from Honduras, two from Guatemala and a Mexican — fled from the van after it was pulled over by Border Patrol and ran south into a wooded area behind the Vermilion Valley Service Plaza. Amherst police and the Ohio State Highway patrol arrested three of the suspects within a few hours. Amherst police and Lorain County Sheriff’s deputies arrested the other two early Saturday morning.

All five were then turned over to the Border Patrol’s Sandusky Bay Station, according to a press release.

Melvin Hernandez, of Mexico, is charged with felony counts of transporting illegal aliens, according to the release.

See Tuesday’s edition of The Morning Journal for more on this story.

SEE STORY: Border Patrol searching area for illegal immigrants on the run

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Illegal Aliens In Custody After Fleeing Cops On Ohio Turnpike (Amherst, Ohio - May 17, 2010)

AMHERST, OH -- Five illegal immigrants were captured after an intense search took place on the Ohio Turnpike Friday morning.

After doing a routine cruise on the Ohio turnpike at approximately 9:55 am, the U.S. Border Patrol noticed a suspicious acting vehicle. Agents attempted to perform a vehicle stop near the Vermillion Valley Service Plaza, however, as the mini-van was pulling over, three passengers in the back seat bailed out and ran south into a heavily wooded area behind the plaza. Once the vehicle came to a complete stop, the driver and front passenger also bailed out of the van and began following the other three subjects in an attempt to escape Border Patrol agents.

Agents immediately contacted the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Great Lakes Air Branch and an AS-350 ASTAR Light Enforcement Helicopter was dispatched to the scene. Additionally, Border Patrol agents requested assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Lorain County Sheriff’s Department, and Amherst Police Department in locating the fleeing subjects...

[Full Article]

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137 Illegal Aliens Caught In Statewide Sting (Cincinnati, Ohio - May 4, 2010)

Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 137 criminal aliens and fugitives in central and southern Ohio over a four-day period ending late Monday. The operation targeted foreign-born criminals and fugitives in violation of immigration laws.

The arrests were made in the Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati metro areas.

ICE's Operation Cross Check targets cases involving immigration violators who pose a threat to national security and community safety. ICE was assisted in the operation by the officers from the following agencies: Columbus Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff, Butler County Sheriff, Morrow County Sheriff, Hamilton Police Department, Mt. Vernon Police Department, Beavercreek Police Department, and Union Township Police Department.

All 137 arrested were either fugitives, re-entered after having been previously removed, or have been convicted of other crimes in the U.S. Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 25 of those arrested during the enforcement surge face federal prosecution. A conviction for felony reentry carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison...

[Full Article]

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Opposing Rallies On Immigration Held In Painesville (Painesville, Ohio - May 1, 2010)

Two groups with opposing views on immigration gathered peacefully Friday afternoon in downtown Painesville.

About 80 Hispanic people stood outside Victoria Place. They held signs and banners that bore the slogan: "We are all immigrants."

Across Victoria Square, about 10 members of the Grassroots Rally Team stood in Veterans Park with signs that read: "No Amnesty. Not Again. Not Ever." and "No border, no order, no nation. No amnesty."...

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Sheriff, Lawmaker Urge Ohio To Pass Law Like Arizona's (Hamilton, Ohio - April 27, 2010)

HAMILTON, Ohio -- An area lawmaker and law enforcement official known for their tough stances on illegal immigration have asked Ohio officials for legislation similar to a controversial Arizona law.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones and state Rep. Courtney Combs sent letters Tuesday to Gov. Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris and Speaker of the House Armond Budish urging them to develop and pass a law that mirrors Arizona's Senate Bill 1070.

Under the new law, legal immigrants would required to carry documents to prove their status and law enforcement officers would be required to check the legal status of anyone they suspect of being undocumented...

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Is Ohio Law On Illegal Immigrants Too Weak? (Hamilton, Ohio - April 28, 2010)

Sheriff and state rep. want bill similar to Arizona plan; critics fear racial profiling.

HAMILTON — A local lawmaker and Butler County’s sheriff are urging the state to move ahead with immigration reforms along the lines of a controversial new law in Arizona that critics say creates a “police state.”

In a letter sent Tuesday, April 27, state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, and Sheriff Richard K. Jones urged the governor and leaders of the General Assembly to move ahead with stalled state immigration legislation.

Bills pending in Ohio include one, sponsored by Combs, which requires employers to check a prospective hire’s legal status or risk noncompliance with tax law. Others would allow local law enforcement more ability to assist federal immigration officials...

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ILLEGALS AMONG US: Ohio Could Give Local Cops Authority To Enforce Immigration Laws (Stark County, Ohio - April 24, 2010)

...In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed legislation that would make it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. It would also require local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal immigrants. Supporters say the measure will remove “political handcuffs” from police.

Locally, the issue was highlighted this week following two separate incidents in Canal Fulton.

One of two suspects charged in a fatal shooting Sunday night at El Rodeo restaurant, 2105 Locust St. S., is believed to be living in the U.S. illegally. Adam Ornelas, 24, of Jackson Township, who is charged with felony tampering with evidence, could be deported by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

On Tuesday, Canal Fulton Police arrested two Mexican nationals following a hit-skip accident at Ohio 93 and Milan Street Northwest. The men, Rafael Barros, 18, and Leopoldo Aguilar-Rocha, 26, both of Akron, allegedly provided false identification to officers. They are charged with one count each of felony tampering with evidence.

In both cases, the suspects were arrested on local charges but authorities could not enforce federal law, which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Schuring said the bills pending in the Ohio House would facilitate cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal authorities...

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Police Shut Down Drug House In Cleveland Heights That Funneled Pot To East Side (Cleveland Heights, Ohio - April 23, 2010)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Cleveland Heights police and federal officials seized 31 pounds of marijuana Thursday afternoon and shut down a drug house that police said funneled pot throughout the East Side of Cleveland and neighboring suburbs.

Police arrested five men, four of whom are illegal immigrants from Jamaica, following the 3:45 p.m. raid in the 2600 block of Edgehill Road, according to Cleveland Heights Police Chief Martin Lentz...

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$100,000.00 Goes To Deported Mexican (Hamilton, Ohio - April 21,2010)

HAMILTON, Ohio -- Luis Rodriguez sued Butler County and Sheriff Richard Jones after being rounded up in an immigration raid.

Rodriguez and his attorney, Al Gerhardstein, maintain that deputies along with an "immigration specialist" working for Jones didn't have probable cause to detain and question Rodriguez.

Rodriguez and 19 others were working as sub-contractors for J&A Drywall on January 2, 2007. They were told to meet with authorities inside a trailer on the site.

Rodriguez produced documents that were fraudulent and later admitted to being in the United States illegally.

"He was criminally charged with possessing fraudulent documents. He was acquitted of those charges, but because he was in custody at the Butler County jail, the federal immigration authorities were called," explained Gerhardstein.

Gerhardstein says the case was a few weeks from trial when Butler County offered a settlement payment.

"The Constitution, particularly the Fourth Amendment, applies to 'persons.' It says all 'persons' shall be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures. 'Persons' are undocumented, are citizens, are non-citizens, they're 'persons.' So, you need probable cause,” said Gerhardstein...

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Man Who Got 2 Jobs Using Stolen Identity Awaits Deportation (Hamilton, Ohio - April 1, 2010)

HAMILTON — The Mexican man who held down two jobs in the Dayton area with an identity stolen from an unemployed Oklahoman is in federal custody awaiting deportation, according to federal authorities.

Jose R. Acosta, 51, was being held in the Butler County Jail “pending his removal from the U.S.,” Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement said in an email on Wednesday, March 31.

Last week, Acosta was sentenced in Warren County Common Pleas Court to three years on probation, but held for federal authorities, for using documents identifying him as Christopher Wilson, 42, of Antlers, Okla., to obtain jobs with a Springboro clockmaker and maintenance contractor for Miami Valley Hospital.

Wilson said he remained unemployed.

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Ohio Senate Votes To Toughen Law Enforcement (Columbus, Ohio - March 24, 2010)

COLUMBUS — Taking aim at undocumented foreign workers, Senate Republicans on Wednesday, March 24, voted for a pair of bills that give local police and sheriffs a greater role in enforcing federal immigration laws.

The Senate voted largely along party lines 21-11 in favor of a bill sponsored that directs the state attorney general to seek an agreement with federal officials to allow specially-trained local police and sheriffs to enforce federal immigration laws...

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Man Wanted In Kettering Rape Found In Michigan (Kettering, Ohio - March 26, 2010)

KETTERING, Ohio -- Police said a man who they believe is an illegal immigrant from Mexico is facing charges nearly two years after he allegedly raped a woman.

Officers in Kettering said the man went missing not long after he raped the woman inside her apartment.

Now, the man is being held in the Montgomery County Jail after officers found him in Michigan.

Michael Burke of the Kettering Police Department said of the case and the delayed arrest, “If it’s attached to your name or your personal information, then it’s not going to go away.”

Investigators said in July 2008, Paulino Ocana, now 25, raped a woman inside her apartment in the 3200 block of Gracemore...

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14 Year Old Illegal Alien To Be Tried As Adult For Rape, Robbery (Butler County, Ohio - March 23, 2010)

On Friday, in Butler County, OH, Alex Ramirez, 14, appeared before Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Craft and heard that he will be tried as an adult for the alleged rape and robbery of a 64-year-old Liberty Township woman.

The victim’s family was in court for the proceeding and testified to the deterioration of the woman’s health since the particularly violent attack. They reported that she has simply lost her will to live. Barely eating and drinking.

Her son said: “All she wants to do is sit and stare out a window.”

According to detectives with the Butler County sheriff’s office, armed with a pellet rifle, Ramirez entered his victim’s home in the early morning hours of Jan. 11. He then demanded money, beat and raped the woman, finally forcing her to drive him to an ATM...

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Deputies Arrest Illegal Immigrants After Crash (Beaver, Ohio - March 8, 2010)

BEAVER, Ohio—Three illegal immigrants were arrested early Sunday after a one-vehicle crash in Pike County.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS from the Pike County sheriff’s office.

Deputies responded to a one-vehicle injury crash on the 3400 block of Adams Road at about 6 a.m. Sunday.

Deputies found an unoccupied vehicle and a male in a nearby ditch.

Two additional males were found hiding in and behind a nearby residence.

Twenty-three-year-old Omar Julian Higaredo, 31-year-old Gerardo Brijido Salinas and 35-year-old Alfredo Silva Ortiz were in possession of forged identifications and further investigation revealed the three are in the country illegally, according to the sheriff’s office...

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Crackdown On Business Owners Reflects Change In Immigration Enforcement (Cleveland, Ohio - March 8, 2010)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The owner of eight Casa Fiesta Mexican restaurants across northern Ohio pleaded guilty last month to harboring illegal immigrants and filing false tax returns.

Ramon Ornelas of Norwalk probably faces at least one year in prison when sentenced later this year. It's a stiff penalty for a crime that in the past typically resulted in just a fine.

The conviction of Ornelas, 42, is symptomatic of a broader crackdown by federal officials on businesses that hire undocumented workers...

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Man Faces More Drug Trafficking Charges (Elyria, Ohio - 02/20/2010)

ELYRIA - An illegal immigrant from Mexico already facing charges of selling high-grade crystal methamphetamine has been indicted on additional drug trafficking charges.

The new charges against Jesus Maciel-Valadez, 31, are two counts of trafficking in methamphetamine with a major drug offender specification and two counts of possession of methamphetamine, one of which carries the major drug offender specification.

The charges stem from an undercover drug buy earlier this month in which Maciel-Valadez was caught with 18 ounces of crystal meth with a street value of more than $100,000.

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Arrest Warrants Issued After Body Found In Bin (Reynoldsburg, Ohio - February 23, 2010)

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio—Reynoldsburg police have obtained arrest warrants on two males who are suspects in the August 2009 murder of a Columbus man.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS from Reynoldsburg police.

The Reynoldsburg Division of Police on Monday obtained arrest warrants on two individuals suspected of murdering 36-year-old Omar Armando Casillas-Castenado during late August 2009.

Officers were called to the area of 1200 Rosehill Rd. at about 2:50 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, on reports of a suspicious vehicle. Officers found Casillas-Castenado’s decomposing body inside of a bin of sorts.

The suspects, who were believed to be in the country illegally, reportedly had fled the country, returning to Mexico, shortly after the murder...

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Casa Fiesta Owner Pleads Guilty (Toledo, Ohio - February 25, 2010)

Ramon Ornelas gave his fingerprints, signed a plea agreement, answered the judge's questions, then surrendered his passport.

Now he waits.

In June, the principal owner of eight Casa Fiesta restaurants in Ohio -- including locations in Norwalk, Sandusky and Fremont -- will learn his fate.

Sentencing guidelines indicate he should receive between 12 and 16 months in prison, but the court is not bound by that term...

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Man Faces Forges Charge After Search (Dover, Ohio - February 16, 2010)

...When a trooper asked for his driver’s license, Hernandez-Box presented him with a consulate identification from Guatemala. He admitted, through a translator, that he didn’t have a driver’s license and also that the document was purchased for $90 in Columbus, Wood said.

“It was definitely a false document,” Wood said, “and based on that we went to the prosecutor and obtained a warrant to search the residence for further false documents.” The warrant, he added, was issued by Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Edward O’Farrell...

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Police Bust Lorain County Meth Operation (Elyria, Ohio - February 12, 2010)

ELYRIA, Ohio -- Police busted a methamphetamine operation and seized a supply of the drug with a street value they said was more than $100,000.

The Lorain County Drug Task Force and agents for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Jesus Maciel-Valadez, 31, and Carmela Chavez-Figueroa, 22, of Lorain, after a four-month undercover operation...

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Company Fined Over Immigration Violations At Fairfield Plant (Fairfield, Ohio - February 12, 2010)

FAIRFIELD -- A company accused of hiring illegal immigrants has paid a steep fine for employment violations.The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced Friday that Koch Foods of Cincinnati LLC paid a $536,046 fine for administrative violations of U.S. immigration laws...

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Ex Public Safety Director Guzman's Blind Eye to Fraud is Unconscionable (Cleveland, Ohio - February 6, 2010)

At the very least, 'former state Public Safety Director Henry Guzman was lax in not implementing new rules on vehicle registrations. At worst, his failures opened the door to dangerous fraud by allowing thousands of motor vehicle registrations to go to people -- many of them undocumented aliens -- who did not provide a driver's license number, state ID card number or Social Security number, as Ohio law requires...

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9 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Avon Lake, Marshals had Set Out to Serve 'Minor' Warrant (Avon Lake, Ohio - February 3, 2010)

AVON LAKE — Officials removed nine illegal immigrants Wednesday from an Avon Belden Road home, and they say the individuals had come from Mexico to work in a local restaurant.

The U.S. Marshals Office arrived at 571 Avon Belden Road around 9 a.m. to serve an arrest warrant for “a minor offense” to a man living at that address, said U.S. Marshal for Northern Ohio Pete Elliott.

That man, whose name wasn’t released, wasn’t home, but nine more were, Elliott said, adding two were hiding in a closet, six were inside the house and one drove up in the middle of everything.

When asked for identification by the marshals and Avon Lake police, the nine men said they didn’t have any because they were in the country illegally...

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Former Ohio Public Safety Director Henry Guzman Unecessarily Delayed New Motor Vehicle Registration Rules, Inspector General Finds (Columbus, Ohio - February 3, 2009)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's former public safety director blocked authorities from enforcing rules intended to crack down on fraudulent vehicle registrations, a state investigation has concluded.

Henry Guzman's "lack of action enabled a criminal element to continue to provide blatantly fraudulent and inaccurate information to register thousands of vehicles in the state of Ohio," according to a report from the Ohio Inspector General's Office...

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Urge Congress to Reject Latest Amnesty Bill for Illegal Immigrants (Cleveland, Ohio - February 2, 2010)

By Other Voices

February 02, 2010, 4:05AM

Congress will try once again to rush through the same amnesty bill, introduced by the infamous Sen. Harry Reid. This bill will, again, attempt to dupe the American people into believing it is all about border and employment enforcement.

Do not be misled. It is more about securing amnesty. There are about 15 million Americans out of work, plus 1 million more who have given up looking for jobs. Why should 8 million illegal aliens hold jobs in this country?

Every month, about 125,000 foreigners enter the United States with temporary visas or as legal immigrants. Americans should not have to compete with these numbers. How many will take the time to write, telling their representatives and senators to reject this bill and introduce one that will enforce our immigration laws, secure our borders and protect Americans from the impact of illegal immigrants and the monumental number of legal immigrants entering the country?

Jean Brehm, Euclid

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Sheriff is Defendent (Butler County, Ohio - 01/26/2010)

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio -- Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones faces charges in federal court that he violated a man's constitutional rights. The court will decide if the sheriff authorized his employees to detain an illegal immigrant and whether that was his right to do...

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Fingerprints May Indicate Immigration Status (Franklin, Ohio - January 27, 2010)

Franklin County law-enforcement agencies can now check offenders' fingerprints against a national database to help federal authorities find immigrants who are illegal or undocumented.

The initiative, called Secure Communities, began in Franklin and Cuyahoga counties last week and will spread to the rest of the state by 2013, said Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

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Owner of Restaurant Facing Immigration, Tax Charges (Toledo, Ohio - January 22, 2010)

The owner of several Mexican restaurants throughout northern Ohio was charged in U.S. District Court in Toledo yesterday for allegedly employing numerous undocumented workers and failing to obtain proper immigration documents.

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Restaurant Chain Owner Faces Immigration Charges (Toledo, Ohio - January 22, 2010)

TOLEDO -- The owner of eight Casa Fiesta restaurants -- including one in Ashland -- faces charges stemming from raids at his restaurants by federal agencies in July 2008.

Ramon Ornelas, 42, of Norwalk, is charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with eight counts of harboring and concealing illegal aliens, three counts of mail fraud and seven counts of subscribing to a false tax return...

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Three Guilty of Hiring Illegal Immigrants (Cincinnati, Ohio - January 20, 2010)

Three Cincinnati construction contractors face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty this week to tax charges related to the hiring of illegal immigrants.

Federal prosecutors say all three men tried to conceal payments to illegal immigrants by writing checks for large amounts of money to a handful of employees, who then gave the cash back to the contractors so they could pay dozens of workers off the books...

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Man Pleads Guilty, Admits Being Drunk in Wrong Way Crashes (Columbus, Ohio - January 20, 2010)

A man who hit five vehicles, injuring seven people, while driving drunk the wrong way on the south Outerbelt pleaded guilty today to three counts of aggravated vehicular assault.

Baltazar J. Altunar, who was injured so badly that a medic believed he was dead, hobbled into Franklin County Common Pleas Court with the help of a cane to admit he'd been drunk when he drove against traffic for 5 miles on I-270 on Christmas Day 2008...

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State Highway Patrol Seizes 44 Pounds (Toledo, Ohio - January 19, 2010)

TOLEDO, Ohio – Two men are to be arraigned today on drug charges in connection with 44 pounds of cocaine seized by the State Highway Patrol in a traffic stop.

Audel Rios, 31, of Meriden, Conn., and his passenger, Christian Paul Carrillo-Meza, 27, of Mexico, were charged with aggravated possession of cocaine, and aggravated trafficking...

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Latinos Face No Fallout for Tags (Columbus, Ohio - January 18, 2010)

Local Latinos' fears that illegal immigrants would face closer police scrutiny in the wake of last month's cancellation of nearly 20,000 vehicle registrations have been unfounded.

A Dispatch analysis of Franklin County jail records found that the number of arrested Latinos transferred to federal authorities for deportation fell dramatically from an unusually high number last year...