Drunk Driving Deaths Spark Hot Debate
The story of two Virginia Beach teenage girls, who were killed when their car, stopped at a traffic light was rear-ended by a drunk driver, turned into a national debate when it was learned the accused drunk driver was an illegal immigrant who had previously been convicted of driving under the influence. Tessa Tranchant, 16, and Allison Kuhnhardt, 17, died when the car in which they were stopped was hit in the rear by Alfredo Ramos, 22, who never had a driver's license and speaks no English.
The debate was sparked by Fox News' Bill O'Reilly who blamed the deaths of the two teens on Virginia Beach officials for turning the city into a "sanctuary" for illegal aliens. O'Reilly blamed Mayor Meyera Oberndorf and the judge for not deporting Ramos after his February DUI conviction.
Talking with the father of Allison Kuhnhardt, O'Reilly said, "The authorities in your town would not obey the law, defied the law of the land and somebody needs to be held accountable sir. I want you to keep in touch with us, We're gonna get the mayor, Oberndorf, and the judge, Whitehurst, because they're the villains."
The debate heated up later in the week when Geraldo Rivera appeared on O'Reilly's show and said, "It has nothing to do with illegal aliens, it has to do with drunk driving and I think you owe that mayor an apology." The two television commentators almost came to blows during the ensuing debate which was posted all over YouTube.com last week.
Not a Criminal Offense
The incident prompted Virginia Congresswoman Thelma Drake to introduce a bill which would make being in the country illegally a violation of the criminal code requiring police to act. "That's the problem we're all dealing with today," said Drake, "It is not a criminal offense to be in this country illegally."
Meanwhile, the parents of the two teens said the debate had gotten "out of hand" and they asked for arguing to stop so that they could have time to grieve. However, they also said they would like to see laws enforced.
What do you think? Is the tragic death of these two teens merely another sad drunk driving story, or is it also an illegal immigration story? Click on the comment link below and let us know your opinion.
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Comments
This is NOT merely a case of drunk driving. Ramos was arrested in Virginia Beach on three previous occasions, two of which were alcohol related offenses. He should have been reported to immigration officials long before he had the chance to get drunk again, this time killing two innocent teens. Shame on Virginia Beach for not protecting its citizens! As a lifelong VB resident I am disgusted. Meyera and the crew are all about big business and the resort area only, the citizens are always at the bottom of their priority list. Hopefully with the next election, everyone will have had enough and actually VOTE HER OUT! She’s been around way too long. Problem is, the rest of VB city council and local officials are just as bad.
Since when do we need anything O’Reilly has to say. Just like Imus, the show is only to sling mud at people who do not think the way he does!!
Excuse me….tffrost, do YOU live in Virginia Beach??? Have YOU not witnessed the fact that VB City Council does whatever BIG BUSINESS wants them to do. I don’t need Bill OReilly to tell me that. I applaud the man for brining national attention to a problem that has LONG been out of hand. Go Bill!!!
Here in San Diego County (California) recently, an illegal immigrant was convicted of, I believe, manslaughter. He had been driving drunk and, because of that, caused the death of a young woman. What’s more is that he had been convicted of drunk driving in the past and deported, but returned to the U.S.
After the accident it was found that he was driving without a license in a company vehicle that he was employed by. Isn’t there something wrong here?
This about accountability. Ramos and other ILLEGAL aliens are doing what almost all of our ancestors (with the exception of Native Americans) did: come to America in search of the dream of a better life. The difference is, most of our ancestors had a sense of accountability, and immigrated legally, without question, for the most part. It was an opportunity, not an entitlement.
Because there are not significant consequences for ignoring the law, there is no real incentive for change.
Until we enact and ENFORCE significant legislation, we will continue to have problems with BOTH drunk driving AND illegal immigration.
If you go to your county jail, and take a per capita account of non-English speaking Mexicans to English speaking americans, you will be astounded. The illigals end up in jail (@ $75 per day per peson) while their wives and multipal children go on welfare for free medical care, free school lunch, free housing. Yes, it should be a criminal offense to be in this country illegally. A single DUI from an illegal should result in deportation, with the installation of a GPS devise to prevent further return into US. We the middle class are being crushed by Illegal Immigration and the expense the population incurs. In Mexico, if you drive drunk, you pay the cop off, and there is no consequence. In American, DUI is against the law and is wrong. Deportation is the only answer.
As previuosly mentioned most of our ancestors arrived legally. Unfortanately now, our government chooses to do little about the glut of illegal immigrants. This is a shame, for rather than struggling to improve thier own lives in thier beutiful country, they choose to flee to ours thereby, greatly reducing the quality of life for all the rightful citizens of this country. With 20 million illegals (about ten times the population of NH)overcrowded contitions lead to increased traffic, crime, noise, less open space, pollution and yes drunk driving. As a united community, large and small, we need to do more to protect the quality of life here in the U.S. for all our citizens and for the future of our children. Instead, it appears that greed and apathy are allowing those with no right to our land and property to seize it from us without remorse, but rather believing they are entitled to it. Failing to enforce consequences for this illegal and immoral confiscation on the quality of our life reinforces thier erroneous belief that it is rightfully thiers for the taking. It is time we stand up and fight for our country, freedom and the quality of life we wish to maintain!
Let weed smokers out of prison to make room for alien law breakers and those who hire them.
Weed smokers deaths? None.
Weed smokers cost to taxpayers? NONE
Lets either open borders all the way, allow all that come to our country be u.s. citizens, turn into a mexican speaking country or follow the damn law and allow all mexicans to come in the lawfule way. After all, by us letting them in and take over can only hurt them. I never feel good after breaking a law.