Dog Attack on Illegal Immigrant Ignites Immigration Debate In N.J. Town

[dt3]

ABC News: Dog Attack Stirs Illegal Immigrant Debate

An 85-pound German shepherd has become the unlikely face of the immigration debate in upscale Princeton, N.J., after a judge ordered the dog to be put down for attacking an illegal immigrant last summer.
Thousands of people have flooded the Internet and even petitioned the governor to ask that Congo be spared for his attack on Honduran landscaper Giovanni Rivera, who was injured seriously in June and later awarded $250,000 in insurance money.
And while New Jersey Gov. John Corzine has denied calls for a pardon, some town residents are upset the illegal immigrant was allowed to collect monetary compensation for his injuries.
"Too bad Congo doesn't work on the border patrol," one resident wrote online. "Maybe there would be less illegals entering our country."
Another poster called Rivera "illegal scum."
Rivera has called the attacks racist and political.
"We've created a subculture in this country right now. The illegal alien is like a subhuman and that's a dangerous precedent," said Rivera's attorney William Garces.
Not all Princeton's residents believe the incident should be used to fuel an immigration debate.
"I would hate my hometown and home state to go down in history as the place where suburbanites value their dogs above their lives of those they hire to tend their yards," one resident said.
Even Congo's owners, Guy and Elizabeth James, said their case has nothing to do with immigration. They claim their dog was provoked by Rivera.
"They hit my dogs. They grabbed my wife and that's what this case is about," Guy James said.
Currently Congo is living at home, and the James family has appealed the local judge's ruling to put him down. The case now is with New Jersey's Superior Court.

Here's the problem I have with this story. Immigrations status aside, the dog was provoked. The illegal hit the dogs and attacked the wife. And now the dog is being put down for defending the family? I think that's a load of crap.

The other problem I have is the money. Why did he get money at all? If he attacked the dog and people, then he is in the wrong, and anything that happens to him is his fault.

 

[Peter Parka]

The problem I have is, is would this be such an issue on the media if it wasn't an illegal immigrant attacked?

 

[All Else Failed]

"We've created a subculture in this country right now. The illegal alien is like a subhuman and that's a dangerous precedent,"




Um, wtf???



I'm also curious what "grabbed my wife" means. Pretty vague.

 

[dt3]

"We've created a subculture in this country right now. The illegal alien is like a subhuman and that's a dangerous precedent,"




Um, wtf???



I'm also curious what "grabbed my wife" means. Pretty vague.

Believe it or not, I'm watching Fox News :eek And they just had an interview with her and her husband.

Apparently the illegals showed up for work 2 hours early. The couple knew they were scared of dogs, so they told the workers to wait in their truck until work started because their dogs were in the back yard.

The couple went back inside and when they came back out, the illegals were in the back yard. One was hitting their other dogs with a rake. The illegal who got bit grabbed the wife from behind, apparently from being scared she said. After he grabber her, her dog attacked him.

Yet another reason everyone should have to speak English.

 

[Crusty Lugholes]

This story makes me sick! WTF at them getting a monetary award?! It will be open season on dogs in NJ is this is allowed.
Just provoke someone's dog to attack and then sue for the compensation money. And the illegal immigrant status is just a load of cobblers. What matters is that the dogs were provoked.
I agree though, wouldn't have happened if they spoke English. I am prior military, and I've lived all over the world. One thing I firmly believe, When in, do as. Including learning to speak their language. At least attempt it!
Nothing pissed me off more when I was in Japan than the 'ugly american' who acted offended because the Japanese didn't speak English. Back then my opinion of them was 'Freaking idiots!'
And I still feel that way. If you're moving to the United States, better learn some English! Especially important words like Stop, Wait, Hold on, etc... There's an old saying when it comes to the laws of the land... "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." The same should be applied when it comes to language.

 

[All Else Failed]

Believe it or not, I'm watching Fox News :eek And they just had an interview with her and her husband.

Apparently the illegals showed up for work 2 hours early. The couple knew they were scared of dogs, so they told the workers to wait in their truck until work started because their dogs were in the back yard.

The couple went back inside and when they came back out, the illegals were in the back yard. One was hitting their other dogs with a rake. The illegal who got bit grabbed the wife from behind, apparently from being scared she said. After he grabber her, her dog attacked him.

Yet another reason everyone should have to speak English.

Yeah I was watching that on FOX as well this morning.


I think its safe to say that the dogs attacked....thats just what I think. Why the hell would they go out of their way to hit the dogs with rakes when the owners were home just for the hell of it?

I don't see how this has to do with language? Do you know if they didn't speak any English? I didn't really hear anything in the interview that suggested they didn't.

 

[skyblue]

This story makes me sick! WTF at them getting a monetary award?! It will be open season on dogs in NJ is this is allowed.
Just provoke someone's dog to attack and then sue for the compensation money. And the illegal immigrant status is just a load of cobblers. What matters is that the dogs were provoked.
I agree though, wouldn't have happened if they spoke English. I am prior military, and I've lived all over the world. One thing I firmly believe, When in, do as. Including learning to speak their language. At least attempt it!
Nothing pissed me off more when I was in Japan than the 'ugly american' who acted offended because the Japanese didn't speak English. Back then my opinion of them was 'Freaking idiots!'
And I still feel that way. If you're moving to the United States, better learn some English! Especially important words like Stop, Wait, Hold on, etc... There's an old saying when it comes to the laws of the land... "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." The same should be applied when it comes to language.

spot on

 

[NuckingFuts]

Well the bottom line is that they are illegal and the have no right to be here. The owners of the dogs however are just as guilty for hiring these people. Cheap labor is all it came down to with this couple. I say throw thier law breaking asses in jail for a while. Deport the illegals back to what ever fucking country they came from. Then do this in every case that is discovered. I live about 45 minutes from the Mexican border, and the bull shit that goes on around here because these people who do not want to go through the legal steps to make ot here. Is just messed up.

 

[Sparkler]

Why is everybody so upset about the illegal immigrant ,first the guy showed up to work a couple of hours early,thats a concientious worker right off and somebody who wants to make a life for themselves.Illegal or legal doesnt really come into how they work,to be honest I understand the choice they made to go to America illegally,its common in the Irish community too.people sacrifice things that the rest of us take for granted when they enter a country illegally.They have to miss major family occasions like weddings and funerals of siblings and parents as if they attend those they will not get back into the country.Thats aside from being able to get insurance in case of illness or injury.They also work darn hard for low wages and then have the likes of this "Fine Upstanding Respectable family" exploit them only to complain when their vicious attack dogs maim the people being exploited.How would these people feel if these dogs attacked some innocent kid and possibly left the child dead?They would be the first to want the dogs disposed of most like.

The total lack of compassion for the person injured in this case just seems wrong.So he got $250k most of which I'm sure has gone to pay for medical expences the guy incurred as he probably didnt have medical insurance and money to feed his family and pay his rent while he wasnt able to work. Personally the dog owner is lucky that all he is looking at is his dog being destroyed and a hike in his insurance premiums.

I honestly think if anybody were attacked by a vicious dog they would try and find the safest place even if that is between it and its owner .

Fair dues to the dog owner for at least trying to stop the whole issue being about illegal immigration.

 

[dt3]

Yeah I was watching that on FOX as well this morning.


I think its safe to say that the dogs attacked....thats just what I think. Why the hell would they go out of their way to hit the dogs with rakes when the owners were home just for the hell of it?

I don't see how this has to do with language? Do you know if they didn't speak any English? I didn't really hear anything in the interview that suggested they didn't.

The dogs wouldn't have attacked if the workers had waited to go into the back yard like the owners instructed. That's why I suggested it may be a language problem. The owners told them the dogs were there and to wait, and they didn't.

 

[All Else Failed]

The dogs wouldn't have attacked if the workers had waited to go into the back yard like the owners instructed. That's why I suggested it may be a language problem. The owners told them the dogs were there and to wait, and they didn't.

they were still just defending themselves.

 

[All Else Failed]

Well the bottom line is that they are illegal and the have no right to be here. The owners of the dogs however are just as guilty for hiring these people. Cheap labor is all it came down to with this couple. I say throw thier law breaking asses in jail for a while. Deport the illegals back to what ever fucking country they came from. Then do this in every case that is discovered. I live about 45 minutes from the Mexican border, and the bull shit that goes on around here because these people who do not want to go through the legal steps to make ot here. Is just messed up.

theres an entire thread on why the immigration process into America from Mexico is corrupt and messed up. I suggest you skim it.

 

[dt3]

they were still just defending themselves.

So were the dogs. They were protecting their territory. If the workers had listened, the dogs wouldn't have defended their territory. The dogs had a right to be there, the workers did not. The workers were specifically told by the owners to wait. They did not. It's not the dog's fault.

 

[All Else Failed]

So were the dogs. They were protecting their territory. If the workers had listened, the dogs wouldn't have defended their territory. The dogs had a right to be there, the workers did not. The workers were specifically told by the owners to wait. They did not. It's not the dog's fault.

weird, I didn't know dogs were citizens.


What were they supposed to do? Let the dogs kill them?

 

[dt3]

weird, I didn't know dogs were citizens.


What were they supposed to do? Let the dogs kill them?

Neither were the people who were attacked.

 

[sundvlfn88]

ABC News: Dog Attack Stirs Illegal Immigrant Debate



Here's the problem I have with this story. Immigrations status aside, the dog was provoked. The illegal hit the dogs and attacked the wife. And now the dog is being put down for defending the family? I think that's a load of crap.

The other problem I have is the money. Why did he get money at all? If he attacked the dog and people, then he is in the wrong, and anything that happens to him is his fault.

To quote this is exactly how I feel about the situation.

 

[All Else Failed]

Neither were the people who were attacked.

so? they are humans who were being threatened, who gives a shit about citizenry when someone's life is at risk?

 

[dt3]

so? they are humans who were being threatened, who gives a shit about citizenry when someone's life is at risk?

They shouldn't have been in the yard. They knew the dogs were there. They were told to stay out. When they chose to enter the yard, they accepted the risks. They shouldn't get $250,000 for entering both our country and that yard illegally.

 

[All Else Failed]

They shouldn't have been in the yard. They knew the dogs were there. They were told to stay out. When they chose to enter the yard, they accepted the risks. They shouldn't get $250,000 for entering both our country and that yard illegally.

It really doesn't matter if they went into the yard when instructed to, thats irrelevant. The only thing that matters in this case is that people were attacked by dogs, and they defended themselves.

 

[skyblue]

if in doubt.......stay out