Shocker.
On a Sunday morning, in a church sanctuary near Conroe, an off-duty immigration agent tapped Jose Juan Hernandez on the shoulder and asked him to step outside.
A 31-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico with three prior deportations, Hernandez quietly followed the agent and promptly was detained on suspicion of illegal re-entry after deportation, said Gregory Palmore, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman in Houston.
The case would be unremarkable, except for the setting. The fact that Hernandez was detained in church has sparked controversy locally. Hernandez was arrested Oct. 26, pleaded guilty to the re-entry charge this month and is scheduled for sentencing in April. He remains in federal detention in Conroe. Hernandez’s attorney, Rick Soliz, said he plans to file a complaint against the ICE agent in connection with the arrest.
That was the straight-forward part.
Then you get to the first subheading, “No record of violence,” under which you learn that…
According to court records, he was convicted of a felony drug charge in Montgomery County and deported in 2000. He was deported again in 2001.
Hernandez was convicted in Montgomery County for DWI in January 2004. In October of that year, he was convicted of driving without a valid license. He was deported for a third time in 2004, according to ICE records.
That’s right. Multiple convictions, including a felony drug charge, and 3 prior deportations. But we’re supposed to feel sorry for this guy because he has “no record of violence.”
And be prepared for your irony meter to go off the charts with the subheading over the article’s closing paragraphs: “They have no respect.” You might assume that quote was made in reference to illegal aliens who, like Hernandez, violate our immigration and other laws. Sadly, no…
The arrested man’s mother, 51-year-old Ana Maria Hernandez, said she was particularly upset to learn that her son, who has been in the U.S. illegally since age 6, was detained in a church.
“A church is a sacred place,” she said. “They have no respect, not even for that.”
Lady, you wouldn’t know respect if it ran up and bit you in the ass. Not only was the agent right to arrest Hernandez — in church or anywhere else — I think we need to start arresting parents for bringing their children here illegally. It’s a lack of respect for our laws that I’m concerned about…why not nip it in the bud at the source?