Our unsecured borders affect more than just our national security…they present a problem to our everyday safety as well
By Renee E. Taylor
From the nation’s highways to small town intersections, our country is under attack. Not from bombs or bioterrorism, but from DWA (driving while alien), whether commercial or private vehicles. Notwithstanding the serious threat to homeland security by the “open door” policy on our Southern border, DWA has caused property destruction and death across the nation.
It should be noted that a study done by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2005 indicated that out of 55,322 incarcerated illegal aliens studied, they had been arrested 459,614 times. That averages out to eight arrests per person! Even more shocking is that those with the most extensive criminal histories were also guilty of unlawful re-entry into the U.S. Of those with a prior arrest, half had been arrested on charges of drug-related or violent felonies.
But when it comes to the simple act of driving, it’s more difficult to discern how large the problem actually is, because we actually do not know how many illegal aliens really are in the country at any given time. But to give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation, approximately one-fourth of road accident fatalities in Eastern Shore, Virginia in 2002 were attributed to Hispanic drivers. Of those, nearly three-fourths had no insurance, nearly all the cars were registered to other drivers, 93% of the cars had out-of-state license plates, and the number of injuries per accident was approximately 50% higher than the average statewide.
These are sobering numbers indeed. And the following are more examples of accidents that would not have occurred had those illegal aliens responsible for them not been in our country.On July 20, 2007, Ricardo Ecria stopped his eighteen-wheeler on the railroad tracks in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Although the signs specified where trucks must stop for oncoming trains, Ecria ignored these warnings. Moments later, a train slammed into Ecria’s trailer, cutting it in half. While there were no serious injuries as a result of the accident, it must be noted that Ecria admitted to authorities he could not read English well enough to understand the warning sign.
On the same day of Ecria’s accident, illegal alien Geraldo Morales-Diaz picked the wrong victim. Drunk and driving without a driver’s license, Morales-Diaz hit an off-duty immigration officer after running a red light. Morales-Diaz was quickly apprehended and charged with driving without a driver’s license, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and running a red light. Determined to be in the country illegally, Morales-Diaz and his passenger were turned over to the Border Patrol.
Just a few days later, on July 23, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, six-year-old Orlando Carrion was stuck by a vehicle driven by illegal alien Gustavo Adolfo. According to NewsOK.com, Adolpho was being held at the Oklahoma City jail in lieu of $8,000 bail on complaints of leaving the scene of an injury accident, having no driver’s license, having no insurance and giving false information. Aldolpho faces deportation proceedings when released from state custody.
On February 17 of this year, 56-year-old postal employee Mark Berkeland, was on his way to work in Eagan, Michigan, when his life was cut short by illegal alien Antonio Alatorre-Garcia. Sentenced this week to a paltry forty-eight months for criminal vehicular homicide, Alatorre-Garcia, a Mexican national, had a blood alcohol level of .10 after the accident and was carrying a false permanent resident ID card.
Julio Villesana was sentenced last week in Nashville, Tennessee, for the fatal accident that killed 51-year-old Charlie Derrington last August.
According to WMC-TV, Memphis, Villasana’s blood-alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit when he drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic and hit Derrington’s motorcycle. Villasana had been deported from the U.S. 14 times before the wreck and had four previous DUI arrests. He must serve at least 7 1/2 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
http://familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=1186647
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=253