May 16, 2005

Denver Sanctuary Policy Protects Illegal Cop-Killer—Who Also (Get This!) Worked For Mayor

By Terry Graham

[Also by Terry Graham: Bill Owens’ Guide For Illegal Aliens: Cash In On Colorado!]

At 1 a.m. on May 8, Mother’s Day, Denver Police Detective Donald Young was assassinated with a point blank shot to the back of his head. A bullet proof vest saved the life of his partner, who was shot in the back.

Raul Garcia-Gomez, the suspect, a 19-year old illegal alien from Mexico, then went home to his three-week-old anchor baby and reportedly confessed his crime to his girlfriend. Next day, his girlfriend told the Rocky Mountain News, he rose early, packed his things, and went to his job as a dishwasher for a restaurant owned by—Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Then he fled.

(Garcia-Gomez’ girlfriend has since denied harboring a known killer, probably on the advice of a lawyer.)

By midweek, Garcia-Gomez’ abandoned car was found in L.A.—where his mother and her other children lived— and Fox News was reporting she had bought him a one-way bus ticket to Mexico. (She has now abandoned their home in L.A.)

At the time of the shooting, Detective Young and his partner were moonlighting. They were providing security for a private baptism party held at a liquor establishment, which required they be in uniform. Party invitations shown on TV were in Spanish. Following the cold-blooded killing, Spanish-speaking interpreters interviewed some witnesses. Others simply disappeared—likely due to their illegal status.

As Denver police released information to the media, a familiar story began to take shape: Garcia-Gomez had been in Denver for 10 months, working for Mayor Hickenlooper’s restaurant almost as long. (Reports are Garcia-Gomez’ girlfriend’s uncle runs the kitchen.) Police had stopped Garcia-Gomez three times in the past seven months for traffic violations.

Colorado law requires new residents to secure Colorado Driver's Licenses within 90 days of arriving, or upon getting a job—whichever happens first. But seven months of repeated police encounters didn’t result in the DPD or the courts contacting ICE about Garcia-Gomez.

How could this be? Denver is stunned.

Except for me—and the readers of VDARE.COM. My VDARE.COM column Victimizing Peter to Pay (For) Paco: The SCAAP Scam had already cited and linked to Denver Police Department’s written policy of de facto sanctuary for illegal aliens. It maintains that immigration is a federal matter, and that

“Generally, officers will not detain, arrest, or take enforcement action against a person solely because he/she is suspected of being an undocumented immigrant. If enforcement action is deemed necessary under these circumstances, the approval of an on duty supervisor or commander is required...” ( DENVER (Colorado) POLICE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL, 100 – 90).

This “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, as some police officers call it, has created a two-tiered legal system, with lower standards for illegal aliens like Gomez. Americans driving without a license get arrested, illegals go free.

By the evening of the May 8 cop killing, I had emailed (as at least one other reader) my VDARE.COM column and the full text of the Denver Police Sanctuary Policy to Peter Boyles, a talkshow host on Clear Channel’s KHOW-AM radio.

And for the first time ever, the Main Stream Media began to cover the special treatment and privileges illegal aliens enjoy.

Mayor Hickenlooper (D) was first. Boyles, noting that the suspect had worked in Hickenlooper’s restaurant for at least nine months, and that one month earlier the Social Security office had notified management of Garcia-Gomez’ “bad” SSN with no effect whatsoever, asked “Does the buck stop with you, Mayor?” [Listen to the Mayor Hickenlooper interview]

The Hick swiftly passed the buck. He claimed his own version of sanctuary status—saying he was a “silent partner” in the restaurant venture that radio news later reported had 100 employees with questionable SSNs.  

The Mayor further denied that Denver had any sanctuary policies in place—a word game, like President Bush’s not-an-amnesty proposal. He said that months earlier he had ordered the City Attorney Cole Finegan to research the question, and came up with nothing.

Just one week earlier, Hick’s radio spots thanking Denver’s Latino “gente” for their many contributions and promoting Cinco de Mayo as a new American holiday ran on many radio stations. Hick no doubt felt an obligation to thank the raza groups for supporting the funding of a new jail, which currently houses many “Latinos” and generates millions in Federal reimbursements for criminal aliens under the SCAAP program, with repeat offenders generating big bucks.

Enter Congressman Tom Tancredo (R), who called the Mayor a liar. He reported that he had met with the Mayor after the Hick was elected. At that meeting, Tancredo told the Mayor that, until Denver rescinded its illegal alien sanctuary policy, he would champion a bill to cut the City and others off of Homeland Security funding. According to Tancredo, Mayor Hickenlooper threatened to sue the Feds if that happened.

The Mayor has since disappeared from the media.

Take a moment and give Mayor Hickenlooper a call and thank him for hiring Raul Garcia-Gomez. Thank him for spending your hard earned tax dollars; especially for the illegal alien murderer's girlfriend giving birth at Denver Health.

Mayor Hickenlooper's office number is (720) 865-9000, you can email him at MileHighMayor@ci.denver.co.us

You paid for it! Isn't it time to DEFEND COLORADO NOW???

Remember – these illegals are just doing jobs Americans won't do.

Next up was City Attorney Cole Finegan, [email him] who also asserted Denver had no sanctuary policy, only to be confronted with Police Procedure 104.52.

And Boyles also produced former Mayor Wellington Webb’s 1998 Executive Order 116, which was introduced at a press conference at Rosalinda’s Mexican Restaurant. Calling it an “improvement” over INS procedures, Webb boasted EO 116 would end “discrimination” by strongly opposing federal distinctions among immigrant groups.

(Former Mayor Webb is now nowhere to be found...possibly he has fled to Mexico.)

Trying to divert attention from his own failure to uncover at least two policies providing special privileges and different legal standards to illegal aliens, Finegan claimed Tancredo was impeding the investigation and capture of Garcia-Gomez, who was probably sipping margaritas in Mexico. (Listen to Tancredo & Finegan face off.)

Open-borders media talking heads praised Mayor Hickenlooper’s “compassion” for hiring illegal aliens, serving up the same ole “better life” tripe. None mentioned that these unscreened food service employees provide a la carte Hep A, intestinal parasites, TB, chagas and dengue to diners.

On May 11th, City Attorney Finegan - still denying Denver is a Sanctuary City - sought cover under a State statute. The Secure and Verifiable ID Act gives Colorado peace officers immunity if they accept insecure and unverifiable ID. The law was passed by a Republican majority under pressure from law enforcement lobbyists, and signed by Governor Bill Owens in 2003. But of course this attempt by the police to avoid liability doesn't change the fact of Denver's written policy.

Towards the end of this turbulent week, Colorado’s Attorney General John Suthers opined that if the murderer had fled to Mexico—which refuses to extradite suspects facing the death penalty or life imprisonment—Colorado would probably capitulate to Mexican standards of justice, and just might have Garcia-Gomez tried in a Mexican Court.

(In 2002, a group of immigration activists including me sent then US Attorney Suthers a registered letter requesting an investigation of what we believed to be unlawful sanctuary policies in place in Boulder City and County. Suthers didn’t even bother to acknowledge our request.)

Time to put Old Glory away, fellas, and run Mexico’s orange, green and white up the flagpole at all Denver Courts, jails, and the Capitol building.

Our impotent, fearful, no-can-do, but still-feeding-at-the-public-trough public servants have effectively capitulated to a foreign power, breaching their oaths of office, and turning our justice system over to the Republic of Mexico, and other Third World powers.

Some dare call it “treason.”

This American believes highly trained American Special Forces should head for Mexico to locate and return scores of Mexican murderers who should face American-style justice on American soil, where they committed their heinous crimes.

I cannot help but think the time has come for a straight-thinking Mayor or Governor to establish a zero-tolerance Sanctuary City or State for Americans.

SANCTUARY FOR AMERICANS IN AMERICA....what a concept!