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Reading the Oct. 31 article, "Critics decry immigrant detention," left me stunned that an elected official would pressure Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger not to do his job and enforce the law.
Then again I am not surprised, since that official is Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Dist. 18) of Chevy Chase. Gutierrez has a long record of supporting illegal immigrants and "open borders," despite her own legal entry into the United States from her native El Salvador many years ago.
A former board member of CASA of Maryland, the well-known illegal immigrant support group, Delegate Gutierrez spends countless hours at taxpayer expense running around Maryland advocating for those illegal immigrants wanted by federal authorities. Voters in her district must scratch their heads in disbelief concerning her agenda, and should think twice about re-electing her to office.
Even more shocking is that Delegate Gutierrez continues to push for illegal immigrant immunity from federal authorities in the face of a recent crime wave and alleged murder in her district by another immigrant from El Salvador. Is it solidarity with a wanted illegal immigrant from her native country or just heartless disregard for the safety and welfare of the citizens in Montgomery County?
And she is not alone. Prince George's County is the home of Del. Victor R. Ramirez, who similarly advocates for criminal illegal aliens over the safety and well-being of his citizen constituents. Ramirez (D-Dist. 47) of Mount Rainier, also a naturalized citizen from El Salvador, has put pressure on Prince George's County police to not enforce federal warrants against illegal immigrants.
Is it a coincidence that Jose Garcia-Perlera, an illegal immigrant charged with murder in the death of a Bethesda woman, set up shop in Delegate Ramirez's Prince George's County? Other illegals live, work and drive (with a Maryland license) with impunity across the state, knowing some politicians are watching their backs.
I support Chief Manger for doing his job and enforcing the law, including outstanding warrants for illegal immigrants. Why does Chief Manger have to defend his department's policy of detaining illegal immigrants in routine stops when their names are flagged in a federal immigration database? Why isn't Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett taking the heat for his police chief, in defense of the rule of law and public safety? Chief Manger's message is clear; if you are wanted for a crime, no matter what your immigration status, expect the county police to do their job to full extent of the law.
We need a clear message to illegal immigrants — we find you, we detain you, you get charged with a crime and then you are deported.
Chuck Floyd, Potomac
The writer is head of the Maryland arm of the Capital Area Alliance Against Illegal Immigration, a member of Help Save Maryland, on the board of directors of the American Border Patrol and a critic of Montgomery's day-laborer centers. He also was a GOP candidate for Congress in 2004 and county executive in 2006.
