McHenry County Blog

A major article stuffed with information about McHenry County law enforcement officials’ treatment of Latinos stopped for traffic offenses appears on The Chicago Reporter’s web site.

Written by Fernando Diaz, the article starts with the Crystal Lake arrest of 2003 Honduran immigrant Osman Maldonado by a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy.

The cigarette run resulted in the deputy’s finding a fake green card after examining Diaz’ wallet.

That led to a felony arrest for possession of fraudulent documents for 25-year old employed father of two.

After thirty days in jail Diaz plead guilty to a misdemeanor. On that same day the sheriff’s department took him to immigration court. With an electronic ankle device, he now faces deportation.

The next mention of McHenry County is way down in the article and the Zane Seipler suite against Sheriff Keith Nygren is the focus. See

“Driving While Black” or “Profiling Caucasians?”

What Ex-Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler Says the Department is Doing Wrong

Discrimination Suit against McHenry County Sheriff’s Department Makes Fox TV

According to the article, in his suit, Seipler, whose wife is Mexican, Seipler

“alleged that the office is targeting Latinos—proxy for undocumented immigrants, he said—for traffic stops.

“Seipler said things changed soon after the county began cooperating with the immigration agency in 2006 and started providing space for immigrant detainees at the McHenry County Jail—for $85 per detainee a day. Seipler said he began noticing the pattern that more Latinos drivers were being arrested. ‘The goal was to keep the immigration wing packed,’ he said.”

Seipler asked for an investigation and was eventually fired, the article says, for “violating rules and regulations.”

Seipler sued last November.

Nygren told the reporter that Seipler’s allegations, which were investigated multiple times, are completely false and offered these direct quotes:

“I’ve been sued a lot [during] 42 years, [but] this is the worst that I have ever seen leveled at anybody with no basis in fact.

“I’m not going to tell you we don’t have people with prejudices and bias, but if we had someone enforcing the law based upon their bias, we would take action. We would not tolerate it.”

What do the statistics show?

The Chicago Reporter dug out this information:

“Since 1996, law enforcement agencies in McHenry County have filed charges against about 3,000 individuals for driving without a license and, since 1999, filed more than 500 charges for those who were in possession of fraudulent documents, according to the Reporter’s analysis.

“But many of these charges have come from only a handful of communities. Five communities, including Harvard, Woodstock and Crystal Lake, racked up 70 percent of all charges.”

How big is the problem?

State Rep. Edward Acevedo estimated that there are 250,000 “undocumented” driving without licenses or insurance.

The article also tells of suburban communities seeking 287(g) authority to enforce immigration law.

McHenry County Blog wrote extensively of how Ohio’s Allen County Sheriff Daniel Beck enforces immigration laws with 287(g) authority. The articles can be found below:

Fighting Republican Courthouse Corruption,

Motivation for Getting Involved with the Fight Against Illegal Aliens

The Rule of Law

Enforcement Techniques, specifically, how 287(g) training is not necessary to get started,

Idendtity Theft Enforcement,

Other Crimes by Illegal Aliens,

Terrorism and Bondage, and

The Critics

What Daniel Beck Told the Minutemen at MCC – Part 9 – What Wouldn’t Fit Elsewhere, Including Retirement Plans

Other articles about the Minuteman meeting include

“Minutemen Are Back with Sheriff Dan Beck Seminar”

“Minuteman Meeting at MCC Peaceful; Protestors Missing in Action”

“Dissatisfaction Expressed with Sheriff Keith Nygren at MCC Minuteman Meeting”

“The Goals of Mexico”

“So Many Illegals, I Could Not Get a Job”

= = = = =
The top sheriff is McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren.

The picture next to the Sheriff Dan Beck articles is of Beck. The section of the McHenry County Jail shown is the floor rented by the U.S. Immigration Service.

The Chicago Tribune reported yesterday that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is seeking Immigration and Customs Enforcement certification to deport illegal alien criminals after they have served their sentence.

Curran is a member of the Democratic Party.

Perhaps he should contact Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck.

Beck has figured out how to deport those who have served time for serious crimes like murder, sex crimes and assault without his employees having attended the ICE training course.

His people fill out the paperwork and deliver the criminals to the local ICE detention center after they serve their terms.

The McHenry County Jail has such an ICE detention center on its fourth floor.

Not much of a drive.

Although criticized, the sheriff stood firm:

“This was not open to discussion; no one’s going to bully us. It’s the right thing to do.”

The Waukegan City Council caused an uproar last summer by voting to seek the same training. Thousands demonstrated against the proposal.

City officials said attempts would only be made to deport those convicted on crimes.

Links to the, can be found here.

= = = = =
The ICE detention pod in Woodstock seen above is empty because the detainees have been locked down for shift change.

The Chicago Tribune reported yesterday that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is seeking Immigration and Customs Enforcement certification to deport illegal alien criminals after they have served their sentence.

Curran is a member of the Democratic Party.

Perhaps he should contact Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck.

Beck has figured out how to deport those who have served time for serious crimes like murder, sex crimes and assault without his employees having attended the ICE training course.

His people fill out the paperwork and deliver the criminals to the local ICE detention center after they serve their terms.

The McHenry County Jail has such an ICE detention center on its fourth floor.

Not much of a drive.

Although criticized, the sheriff stood firm:

“This was not open to discussion; no one’s going to bully us. It’s the right thing to do.”

The Waukegan City Council caused an uproar last summer by voting to seek the same training. Thousands demonstrated against the proposal.

City officials said attempts would only be made to deport those convicted on crimes.

Links to the, can be found here.

= = = = =
The ICE detention pod in Woodstock seen above is empty because the detainees have been locked down for shift change.

This is McHenry County Blog’s sixth article in a series detailing what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck told participants in the Illinois Minuteman Project’s seminar on illegal aliens at McHenry County College on Friday, October 26, 2007.

In previous installments, the following topics have been covered:

Fighting Republican Courthouse Corruption,

Motivation for Getting Involved with the Fight Against Illegal Aliens

The Rule of Law

Enforcement Techniques, specifically, how 287(g) training is not necessary to get started, and

Idendtity Theft Enforcement.

Although identity theft seems to be the crime leading to the most deportations, Beck does not do random identity checks. He stressed that they are done only when other criminal activity is found.

During his talk, he told of some of those other crimes committed by illegal aliens.

One was a “van wreck drive by a 3-offense (driver in which it was) hard to identify the victims.”

Another was “a rapist of an 8-year old. The Lima Police wouldn’t cooperate.

“Alfedo Lopez-Cruz was being hidden out in the Latino community. They just didn’t want to talk to us.

“Last we heard is that he is in the Allen County area. There was a sighting in Oregon living with his 14-year old girlfriend.

“He’s on (the FBI’s) America’s Most Wanted.”

Beck told of his deputies interviewing illegal aliens while trying to solve crimes.

“There are literally hundreds we have interviewed and let them walk because they have not broken the law.”

“I don’t think we can ever solve this problem unless they (the federal government) partner with local (governments).”

He said there is a problem of those here illegally not reporting crime.

“They chose to avoid all contact with law enforcement because they don’t want to be detected,” Beck continued.

“The biggest problem is domestic violence among the illegals.”

Beck admitted that he had had problems getting “illegals to be witnesses in a robbery case of a Mexican restaurant workers.”

The robber “used his crack head girl friend to get in the door.”

Tomorrow’s article will concern the employer’s role in the illegal alien situation.

This is McHenry County Blog’s sixth article in a series detailing what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck told participants in the Illinois Minuteman Project’s seminar on illegal aliens at McHenry County College on Friday, October 26, 2007.

In previous installments, the following topics have been covered:

Fighting Republican Courthouse Corruption,

Motivation for Getting Involved with the Fight Against Illegal Aliens

The Rule of Law

Enforcement Techniques, specifically, how 287(g) training is not necessary to get started, and

Idendtity Theft Enforcement.

Although identity theft seems to be the crime leading to the most deportations, Beck does not do random identity checks. He stressed that they are done only when other criminal activity is found.

During his talk, he told of some of those other crimes committed by illegal aliens.

One was a “van wreck drive by a 3-offense (driver in which it was) hard to identify the victims.”

Another was “a rapist of an 8-year old. The Lima Police wouldn’t cooperate.

“Alfedo Lopez-Cruz was being hidden out in the Latino community. They just didn’t want to talk to us.

“Last we heard is that he is in the Allen County area. There was a sighting in Oregon living with his 14-year old girlfriend.

“He’s on (the FBI’s) America’s Most Wanted.”

Beck told of his deputies interviewing illegal aliens while trying to solve crimes.

“There are literally hundreds we have interviewed and let them walk because they have not broken the law.”

“I don’t think we can ever solve this problem unless they (the federal government) partner with local (governments).”

He said there is a problem of those here illegally not reporting crime.

“They chose to avoid all contact with law enforcement because they don’t want to be detected,” Beck continued.

“The biggest problem is domestic violence among the illegals.”

Beck admitted that he had had problems getting “illegals to be witnesses in a robbery case of a Mexican restaurant workers.”

The robber “used his crack head girl friend to get in the door.”

Tomorrow’s article will concern the employer’s role in the illegal alien situation.

This is the fourth in a series of articles trying to give the fullest view possible of what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck said at his October 26, 2007, presentation to the Illinois Minuteman Project meeting at McHenry County College.

Topics so far have been
Fighting Republican Courthouse Corruption

Motivation for Getting Involved with the Fight Against Illegal Aliens and

The Rule of Law

Today’s article concentrates on enforcement techniques.

Sheriff Beck reported deporting about 100 people through ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

He said they don’t use 287(g) (which “cross-designates local officers to enforce immigration law as authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” according to the ICE website.)

It was the Waukegan City Council’s request of ICE for such training for two of its officers that caused all the brouhaha there.

The police there sought that authority so it could deport illegal aliens who broke criminal law—exactly what Sheriff Beck’s deputies do without having had that training course and the authority it confers upon a local police department.

He met with Brian Moskowitz, the Regional Special Agent in Charge for Ohio and Michigan.

They talked about the 287(g) training process, which Moskowitz said would take three years.

“We couldn’t wait that long.”

Beck said he had not asked for 287(g) training because “they told us it would take three years.” He wondered how Waukegan was going to obtain it within two years.

Beck later also complained about the five weeks the 287(g) training program would take.

“It’s extremely difficult to lose two or three officers for five weeks,” he explained.

He said his effort resulted from partnering with local ICE officials.

His department fills out the paperwork and even transports the aliens to his regional counterpart of the ICE detention center on the fourth floor of the McHenry County Jail. That’s to make it easy for the understaffed ICE regional office. (There are only 45 ICE employees in Ohio.)

“ICE won’t pick up illegals up until they are arrested and convicted,” Beck explained.

“We’ve tried to make the job easy for ICE. We transport them and fill out the paperwork (on their forms).”

Even so, “If you look at out numbers, I don’t think we’re doing very much,” Beck said.

“The rest are just doing nothing.”

Later, Beck said, “Sometimes it becomes psychological warfare,” pointing out, “Over the last year and a half about 100-150 illegal families have moved out of our county.

“We found a way to do it without 287(g),” he continued.

Tomorrow’s article deals with identity theft by illegal aliens.

= = = = =
The detention facility pod shown is on the fourth floor of the McHenry County Jail. There are not prisoners seen because it was shift change time when this photograph was taken during a Saturday summer tour arranged for Chinese young political leaders by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren. That’s a story I must write some time when things are slow. You’ll never guess what they found most intriguing in McHenry County.

This is the fourth in a series of articles trying to give the fullest view possible of what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck said at his October 26, 2007, presentation to the Illinois Minuteman Project meeting at McHenry County College.

Topics so far have been
Fighting Republican Courthouse Corruption

Motivation for Getting Involved with the Fight Against Illegal Aliens and

The Rule of Law

Today’s article concentrates on enforcement techniques.

Sheriff Beck reported deporting about 100 people through ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

He said they don’t use 287(g) (which “cross-designates local officers to enforce immigration law as authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” according to the ICE website.)

It was the Waukegan City Council’s request of ICE for such training for two of its officers that caused all the brouhaha there.

The police there sought that authority so it could deport illegal aliens who broke criminal law—exactly what Sheriff Beck’s deputies do without having had that training course and the authority it confers upon a local police department.

He met with Brian Moskowitz, the Regional Special Agent in Charge for Ohio and Michigan.

They talked about the 287(g) training process, which Moskowitz said would take three years.

“We couldn’t wait that long.”

Beck said he had not asked for 287(g) training because “they told us it would take three years.” He wondered how Waukegan was going to obtain it within two years.

Beck later also complained about the five weeks the 287(g) training program would take.

“It’s extremely difficult to lose two or three officers for five weeks,” he explained.

He said his effort resulted from partnering with local ICE officials.

His department fills out the paperwork and even transports the aliens to his regional counterpart of the ICE detention center on the fourth floor of the McHenry County Jail. That’s to make it easy for the understaffed ICE regional office. (There are only 45 ICE employees in Ohio.)

“ICE won’t pick up illegals up until they are arrested and convicted,” Beck explained.

“We’ve tried to make the job easy for ICE. We transport them and fill out the paperwork (on their forms).”

Even so, “If you look at out numbers, I don’t think we’re doing very much,” Beck said.

“The rest are just doing nothing.”

Later, Beck said, “Sometimes it becomes psychological warfare,” pointing out, “Over the last year and a half about 100-150 illegal families have moved out of our county.

“We found a way to do it without 287(g),” he continued.

Tomorrow’s article deals with identity theft by illegal aliens.

= = = = =
The detention facility pod shown is on the fourth floor of the McHenry County Jail. There are not prisoners seen because it was shift change time when this photograph was taken during a Saturday summer tour arranged for Chinese young political leaders by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren. That’s a story I must write some time when things are slow. You’ll never guess what they found most intriguing in McHenry County.

I noticed that the Minuteman meeting held the Friday before last at McHenry County College was still listed among this Saturday’s top stories with comments, so I took a look at them.

What I saw at the bottom surprised me.

You can see it to the right.

There is no way to add a comment.

For contrast, I have reproduced below what the bottom of a story’s comment section on the Northwest Herald’s web site looks like when comments are being accepted.

That’s not under the Minuteman meeting story about Sheriff Daniel Beck’s presentation.

As you probably have noticed, McHenry County Blog is running a series of articles about the Illinois Minuteman Project meeting on October 26th.

There will be 9 installments on what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck said to the and run from November 1st through November 9th.

Images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Click on the image with comments in the middle and you will see a really interested comment from someone who lives on McConnell Road in Woodstock.

I noticed that the Minuteman meeting held the Friday before last at McHenry County College was still listed among this Saturday’s top stories with comments, so I took a look at them.

What I saw at the bottom surprised me.

You can see it to the right.

There is no way to add a comment.

For contrast, I have reproduced below what the bottom of a story’s comment section on the Northwest Herald’s web site looks like when comments are being accepted.

That’s not under the Minuteman meeting story about Sheriff Daniel Beck’s presentation.

As you probably have noticed, McHenry County Blog is running a series of articles about the Illinois Minuteman Project meeting on October 26th.

There will be 9 installments on what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck said to the and run from November 1st through November 9th.

Images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Click on the image with comments in the middle and you will see a really interested comment from someone who lives on McConnell Road in Woodstock.

McHenry County Blog is trying to give a full picture of what Allen County, Ohio, Sheriff Daniel Beck told his Illinois Minuteman Project audience at Crystal Lake’s McHenry County College last Friday night.

So far, we have covered how he fought GOP courthouse corruption and his motivation for entering the illegal alien fray.

Standing on the MCC auditorium stage in front of a big screen Beck sometimes looked a bit like the movie’s George Patton talking to his troops while standing in front of a huge American flag.

Beck used the written word, instead of a flag. He had a slide show.

“The Rule of Law” was the heading on the first one.

“We are a nation of laws, not of men,” he stated.

It reminded me of the line in the Jaycee Creed. It’s been 30 years since I had to leave the Crystal Lake organization at age 35 and I can still remember that wonderful line. And, I never found a better organization than the Jaycees.

“We different from other countries,” Beck continued.

He talked about the political arena in Allen County in 1992. (See Part 1.)

Then, he skipped forward to the controversy involving his canceled appearance at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn.

“I’ve never had an injunction against me in my entire life. 35 years in law enforcement. Thanks for that.”

“I’ve never had so much police protection in my entire life,” he said, commenting on the Crystal Lake Police presence at McHenry County College.

“Usually my deputies throw me on the stage and say, ‘Good luck!’”

Just as Pulido’s Mexican heritage belies the charges of racism often thrown at those holding the Minutemen’s views on illegal immigration, Sheriff Beck pointed out, “I have a brown son.”

He then characterized Mexican policemen thusly, “If you can find two honest cops in Mexico, I’ll eat my felt hat.”

“When they come across the fence and not through (Customs), they never get the training (to learn how this country works),” he said, speaking of illegal aliens.

“The advocates I talk to and who talk to me want me to pick and choose which ones (laws) I enforce. That’s not the way I read the Constitution.”

Tomorrow’s story will be about illegal alien enforcement techniques.

= = = = =
The Jaycee Creed link is to the Cary-Grove Jaycees web site. It has the best explanation I could find. The Hastings Jaycees had the most readable creed. Hastings is in Barry County, Michigan.