96 Charges Filed in 36 Count Indictment; Victims were "Zip Tied" during Crimes

Illegal immigrants play a big part in the nation's growing crime rate. One of the latest crimes here in the Valley involved four illegal immigrants who tied store clerks up with Zip Ties while they robbed them. In a case that reminds us of the link between illegal immigration and crime, a Maricopa County Grand Jury has indicted five defendants in the Zip Tie bandit crime spree. The defendants are accused of robbing four Mesa grocery markets and discount stores between May 25, 2007 and October 13, 2007. Four of the five defendants are being held without bond under Prop 100 because they are accused of being in the U.S. illegally. Some defendants claim they had been previously deported.

Defendants Kalib Andrade-Mondragon* Juan Jose Mendez Humberto Ochoa-Alvarado*, Juan Felipe Torres-Torres*, and Javier Robledo-Rodriguez* face a long list of charges including felony charges for Armed Robbery Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, and Misconduct Involving Weapons. These defendants are accused of serious violent crimes that left their victims terrorized and in fear of their lives. Police say the victims of all four robberies cited in the indictment were held at gunpoint and hand-cuffed with zip ties while the suspects took cash and goods. The robberies happened at Primo Food and Deli, M & M Market, Number One Mini Mart, and a 99 Cent Store in Mesa. More charges are possible as the investigation continues. Mesa police arrested the suspects last month after an exhaustive investigation. I commend the Mesa Police Department for its investigation.

Notwithstanding the fact that it's politically incorrect to say so, we do see a relationship between our crime rates and our illegal immigration problem. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio reports that his office has found that 23 percent of the inmates in his jails are illegal immigrants. That is a major percentage of our overall crime rate. For that matter, one violent crime that could be prevented by having a sound border policy is one crime too many.

There is a clear relationship between our crime problem and the illegal immigration problem. That's just a fact, and I, for one, intend to continue to talk about it.


*denotes alleged illegal immigrant defendant