May 11, 2010
I couldn't have made this one up if I tried.
An illegal immigrant with a long rap sheet received a $145,000 parting gift from the city of New York before he was deported back to his native Barbados. City lawyers said his civil rights had been violated because he was held too long at Rikers Island.
Federal rules allow local law enforcement to detain suspected illegal immigrants for 48 hours after their criminal cases are resolved so that immigration and customs have a chance to pick them up and move them to federal facilities.
Former Brooklyn resident Cecil Harvey argued his rights were violated when he spent more than a month in a Rikers holding pen before his transfer. Naturally, a so-called immigration rights advocacy group helped him with his case. I wonder how much of the $145,000 they received?
This is an outrage. Harvey violated our laws and New York City taxpayers are paying him? Give me a break!
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
