Lake County murder and crime spree tied to Mexican immigrant Juan Razo is a criminal case -- not a verdict on all with illegal status

Plain Dealer (Editorial-Ohio)

July 29, 2015

Lake County murder and crime spree tied to Mexican immigrant Juan Razo is a criminal case -- not a verdict on all with illegal status 

Certain facts are known about a Lake County man who allegedly shot and wounded a woman in a Concord Township park this week and has been linked to -- but, at this writing, not yet charged for -- the attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl and the murder of a 60-year-old woman the same day.

Most pertinently to some, Juan Emmanuel Razo, born in Mexico about 35 years ago, has been living in this country illegally, according to Lake County officials. A local advocacy group says he is the son of a naturalized citizen and has been waiting for a green card for more than 12 years, and suffers from an unspecified serious mental illness. Razo apparently first came to the attention of local authorities July 7 when he parked improperly, but was not arrested after Lake County officials contacted federal immigration authorities about his status. According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Razo had no prior run-ins with the law.

Razo's case is likely to be played up by those who believe all immigrants without proper papers should be deported.

But what motivated this alleged crime spree after years of reportedly incident-free living? If Razo is the culprit, did something happen to him that day to cause him to spin out of control? Where did the firearm or firearms come from?

Given Razo's background, this case is not similar to a recent San Francisco murder that's also being cited as evidence that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump was right to (mis)label Mexican immigrants as, by and large, criminals and rapists. In that case, a woman strolling near the waterfront was shot and killed July 1, allegedly by a repeat felon with a history of drug convictions and repeated incarcerations and deportations after illegal entry from Mexico. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez's latest release from custody, reportedly pursuant to San Francisco's sanctuary law, has prompted reciprocal finger-pointing between city and federal authorities.

Criminals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, imprisoned if guilty and then, if they were in this country illegally, deported. But the crimes of individuals do not indict entire ethnic groups among the estimated 11 million immigrants from many nations who lack legal status in this country. The Razo case primarily concerns Razo himself, and those he may have harmed, and should be treated as such.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com