Triple US murder sparks immigration debate

The murder of three people at a school in New Jersey has further sparked an already contentious immigration debate, with critics of the city’s current immigration policies highlighting that one of the alleged attackers was in the US illegally and had faced serious criminal charges before.

Newark city councilman Ron Rice today said he was introducing a bill that would require local police to notify federal immigration authorities whenever they arrest someone living the US illegally who is charged with committing a felony.

The bill would be the first piece of legislation resulting from the shooting of four Newark college students, which left three dead and one wounded.

One suspect, 28-year-old Jose Carranza, was an illegal immigrant from Peru who was granted bail earlier this year when he was charged with assault and child rape.

Today, a judge revoked his £100,000 (€148,000) bail at the request of prosecutors. Carranza’s attorney did not object.

Carranza attended the 5-minute hearing but did not speak. His listened to the discussions, which were translated, through headphones.

“He clearly should not have been out on the street,” said Rice.

The case comes at a time when a growing number of US communities and cities - frustrated with what they say is the federal government’s inability to address the illegal immigration issue – are trying to enact laws aimed at curtailing the number of such immigrants in their area.

The laws, which range from denying public services to illegal immigrants to penalising businesses who hire them, have been approved or considered in dozens of communities across the US.

In all, state lawmakers have introduced more than 1,400 measures related to immigration this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The guidelines Rice is calling for would change policy for law enforcement in the city.

The shootings have ratcheted up anger in New Jersey’s largest city where the number of killings to date, 60, is nearly even with last year’s pace of 63, even as the overall crime rate has fallen.

The killings have prompted billboards in the downtown area that scream, “HELP WANTED: Stop the Killings in Newark Now!”

Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, told The Star-Ledger of Newark that the office generally refers cases of illegal aliens to federal immigration authorities only after the defendant is convicted and sentenced. Notifying authorities earlier might result in having suspects deported before they could be punished for their crimes.

The four victims, friends ages 18 to 20, were shot Aug. 4 while visiting in a school. The three who died were forced to kneel against a wall and shot at close range. Authorities have said robbery appeared to be the motive.

So far, authorities have arrested three people in the case – Carranza and two juveniles – and secured a warrant for a warrant for a fourth, Rodolfo Godinez, 24. Authorities say they are looking for additional suspects, but not have named any of them publicly.

Police spokesman Todd McClendon would not comment today on a report in The Star-Ledger of Newark that two of the remaining suspects are juveniles.