The Hazleton Standard Speaker reports 21 year old Roberto Acosta, of West Hazleton, was charged with two counts each of aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault. Acosta is said to be in this country illegally. There is no mention of the immigration status of his victim, but there is mention of her age, 17. So, Roberto will also face one count each of corruption of minors and indecent exposure.
Not all illegal aliens sneak into our country. Many simply gain access the legal way then allow their visas to expire. Such is the case with oneAcosta, of Honduras. Apparently, Acosta felt safe enough in his home away from home to allow his visa to expire. When issued a summons for a hearing to address his immigration status, he felt safe enough to skip it. Acosta also felt safe enough to apply for work in the area, obtaining gainful employment at a local pizza shop. And, he also felt safe enough to lead a (minor) co-worker to the basement of the same pizza shop where he proceeded to sexually assault her.
Acosta is now in custody, detained for I.C.E. officials in lieu of $50,000 bail. Maybe he'll be deported. Or maybe he'll claim he was a victim, taking advantage of the Victim Assistance Program. He may even use the new hotline made available just for aliens by our primary immigration enforcement agency. We can't know for sure what will happen to Acosta in the future, but we can have relative confidence in a few things that have already occurred. One is that friends or family probably knew of and/or shared his alien status. Another is that many others probably suspected Acosta of being an alien and did nothing about it.
Acosta's case is a typical one with regard to illegal aliens in our midst. Too often, they hide in plain sight, invited, welcomed and protected by a (sub) community of similar speaking people. Sadly, this community is generally more concerned with promoting their own agendas and power base than with the welfare of the very country that provides for them. And in the mean time, well intentioned but seriously misguided citizens allow it to happen by maintaining an open arms policy despite strong suspicions and, in some cases, knowledge of individual and group alien status. Such a dynamic can likely be found in a church near you for members' fear of being labeled unChristian if they take a stand against this illegal activity. Such a dynamic is found outside of the church by any number of people, some afraid of being labeled racist or xenophobic, others simply suffering from the mental illness of liberalism.
As far as I know, this is the first officially reported crime committed by an illegal alien in Luzerne County this young year, and it's one too many. Sadly, it will surely not be the last. Why not make sure the heat is turned up on something more than the pizza oven this year? If you suspect illegal aliens, do something about it. Maybe your call will make a difference.
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