YOUR COMMENTS

If this man was being charged with murder, would your response simply be "send him home, dont give him his day in court"? I don't think so. He broke the law, he has to face the music for the crime on the state level, before being turned over to ICE to face the charges of being here illegally. As far as the illegal immigrant issue as a whole goes, the government can not afford to find, process, and ship home every illegal in this country. Do you want to pay for it? The immigration reform would not give a "free pass" as suggested. It would force said peoples to pay a fine, (which equals more money for the govt) pay all back taxes, (again more money for the govt) and go to the bottom of the list for citizenship. Personally, I see nothing wrong with this plan. We cant afford to send them all home so they will just continue to do what they have been doing working without paying taxes while we pick up the slack with out tax hikes. At least this plan will ensure an intake of money on a grand scale and maybe we wont see any new taxes for a good few years. A win-win in my book.
- s, derry

Illegal immigrant. What is the first word ? enough said! Come here illegally and you run the risk of getting sent back on the tax payers $. It doesn't matter what color you skin is race is, your illegal if your illegal. Peroid. I'm sure the aclu will come forward and represent him , like they usually do.
- matt, grafton,nh

I was born in the United States in 1960: If not a native, what am I?
- thomas warmack, fairmount, georgia

You people can argue history all you want. Here's the bottom line today.
Come here for a job? Love this land of "opportunity"?
I've got one for them. Stick a M-16 in their hand and ship them over to Iraq. What? Not the kind of job they had in mind? Tell that to the men that landed at Normandy.
Most people want others to fight for their "freedom" and they just want all the good life in the good ole USA.
- GGordon, Atlanta

To Juliana in Manchester: Please explain to us all how the citizens of a country who already are here, obeying the laws( or suffering the cosequence) and expect others to do the same equates to racism? What you seem to be confused about is because an immigration problem stems from Mexico, and the large target of illiegal immigrants happen to be Mexican - THIS is why they are targeted. Racism is the belief that one race is inferior to another, and this isn't the issue - breaking the laws of a host country are. Get a clue.
- Terence Haprer, Snellville, GA

Joanne, you seem to forget that there is NO SUCH THING as a "Native American". There are only different types of immigrants. So called "Native Americans" migrated (as in imMiIGRATED) here from Asia over the Bering Straight land bridge before it was submerged. No group of people has an "inherent" right to this land. And for the record, with a name like Antonio Roman Garcia-Mercado, his ancestors were probably even worse to the "natives" than the english were to north american indians.
- Will, Tucson, Az

One comment. I don't care if he is illegal or not. The point that I am missing is this, when I served abroad, my shipmates and I were made to observe local laws and customs. If we sped in Scotland, we paid a speeding fine in Scotland. (Not to mention sometimes we had US Fed consequences as well but that is another issue). If I was drunk and driving ILLEGALLY I probably would have been jailed and fined - and sent home to be punished by own country (loss of job, etc).
The point is there is no punishment, no reason to stop this behaviour. Odds are this is not the first time, just the first time the person was caught.
Now if it was an American (I was not born here, and of foreign descent, but I served in the US Navy and I believe you are an American or not and do not rely on my race for any more priviledge than what my brothers and sisters in this country receive)
I believe he would have received a 10K and some jail time according to one poster. Why is he not serving, at the minimum, the punishment for his crime at the very minimum. This is my issue. The tax free existance and no obligation to the country that is currently paying you and giving you a "free-ride" is secondary.

Ray
- Ray, Atlanta, Ga

Remember Lung Cancer starts as a mere cough. Stop the illegal invasion now while it is still possible to use the laws on the books. The time may come when we have to decide if we will fight in the streets or give up the country. Sounds far fetched? Travel to Chicago and you will see mexico in all it's greatness.
- Ken, Nashua

This is in response to Joanne's comments: Joanne, how can you be so ignorant while answering some of your own accusations in your response? Your very last sentence states that the majority of indigenous deaths was due to disease, which was not an intential act by the Europeans. Another fact that you seem to miss is that people have been moving from one place in the world to another for ages. This was something that man was prone to do, explore and move on. None of that determines who "belongs" somewhere. That question was answered by the inhabitants of a region who passed laws concerning the migration of people after the passage of the law. So, it certainly mean that a person who now lives in the US as a citizen "belongs" there, so long as that person attained their citizenship according to the laws of that land.
- Ray, Virginia Beach

People need to step up now and let the politicians know that they want the laws that are on the books enforced - otherwise Manchester and Nashua are going to end up like Marlborough, MA where English is the second language, and jobs can be had for under minimum wage.

What really amazes me is that the same bleeding hearts that think this guy has a 'right' to a job - at the expense of our citizens, cry about the downturn in the economy.

With 2 bad policy choices, our politicians have created an environment where citizens have a very tough time competing for jobs.

1 - By enforcing the minimum wage, which sets a non-market wage, employers effectively don't hire, or hire illegally.
2 - By not enforcing the immigration laws, it is easier for employers to hire illegals and to hire them, in some cases under minimum wage.
- Ex-NH Resident, Johns Creek, GA

So illegals (from any country) think that just because they "work" they should be exempt from our laws? Americans work also and we must follow the law.

I'm married to a Mexican national and even she is sick and tired of the illegals and the illegal activities that seem to follow them everywhere.

They work hard, but they also drink (and drive) hard. They sell drugs, rob, burglarize, rape, break into cars, drive like they are in Mexico City (I've been there, what a mess!) and basically want to turn the US into Mexico. Didn't they leave Mexico for a reason?

Not all Mexicans are bad seeds, but a good percentage of them are, and they are racist, anti-gringo people. They refuse to learn English, refuse to follow our laws, refuse to assimilate into our culture, most don't pay taxes, get free medical care, food stamps, assisted housing, etc..

So this guy got a free trip home AGAIN, no fine, nothing. And what do native born Americans get? Huge fines. Jail time. Loss of income. Loss of jobs. This guy will be back in a month, working as if nothing had happened.

As an American, I am absolutely sick and tired of people (from anywhere including here) flaunting our laws. This is not the great country it once was. We are turning into a 3rd world nation.
- RD Scott, Salt Lake City, UT

On the Joanne charge of slaughter of the indigineous post 1492: this is the "Black Legend" and it completely ignores the impact of Old World diseases. This was inadvertant, and was the cause of up to a 90% drop in native population by 1600.
By the way--the perp in this story does have a very Spanish name, so let's not automatically extend sympathy for his being a Native American.
- Roger, Lilburn, GA

wow.. it crazy how everyday i see more and more and more ignorant people I am not an american but i have been here for 20 years of life i pay my taxes like any other american but i still support my hipanic and i sick and tired of people talking so much bla bla and dont stop and look at the pic how it is it 90%of mexicans that do construcsion so the us can look how it look there are alot of hard working spanish people out there that all they want to do is work to support there familyjust like you guys do and there are some that are just alcholic just like theres lots of american so you see if we are all the same why cant we all just stop being so ignorant and stop all the racesim that there and let all just live are owne lives
- juliana, manchester

I like Wikipedia too, but that doesn't make it a good source for history. Parlor trivia, yes, moral outrage, no.

If you're going to live here, get your papers, learn the language, and follow the rules. It's the only way to make the most out of the opportunities here.
- Amy Hasslacher, Washington, DC

I can't believe people who defend illegal aliens throwing accusations of racism around toward those who believe in defending national sovereignty . So I guess it's OK for employers to exploit someone's illegal status to pay them less than they are worth. If a Mexican national working in the US works harder than the average US citizen why should he be paid less than the US citizen.He should be paid more. At one time the Democrats and the Left used to champion the fair wage for all. Now they throw mud when being called on the carpet for supporting a corrupt system.
- Chris, Merriamck

Stefan
I don't hate Mexicans or any Hispanic. I'm just sick and tired of employers reaping the benefits of being able to hire low paid workers
and then expect the taxpayer to pick up the benefits. If you can't do business legally, don't do business at all! Stefan, don't you think your employer is taking advantage of these illegals? I'm sure they are getting shortchanged. They can't complain, because they are illegal!
Another problem is that the countries these people are coming from have resources. Why should the rich in these countries take all the profit from the resources, then export their poor to us?
Believe me, I don't fault the people coming here one bit, I don't like it , but let's face it , the fault lies in the leadership. The leadership here and there is guilty of exploiting people, both the illegal immigrants and citizens.
The solution is to change the leadership, in both places!
- Steve, Raymond

Joanne's comments about Europeans killing Native Americans to steal their lands are hilarious!! Read history--European, Asian, African, and American: In each separate history some group ALWAYS kills other people to steal their lands. Remember the Romans, the French, the Mongols, etc. The Natives always fought like hell too.

People who are born in the USA and subject to its jurisdiction, per the 14th Amendment, are Americans, whatever ethnicity. The criminal in this news story has invaded our civil republic. He doesn't belong here.
- Anne Herrera, San Jose, CA

Actually JoAnne, "Native" Americans migrated here from Asia. They raided, depopulated and appropriated each others' lands for milennia before 1492.
Nothing happened to them after that year that they weren't doing one another beforehand.

Moreover, if Kennewick man (a 9300 year skeleton with Caucasian facial features) is any indication, they may not be this continents' first human inhabitants.

Sorry to burst your bubble JoAnne, but alleged past wrongs do not justify present crimes. There was no democratically encated written law of any nation-state in effect against illegal immmigration in 1492. Now there is, and it should be respected. (Mexico, by the way, has some of the strictest laws against illegal immigration in the world, and they enforce them. Where's all your moral outrage about that?)

Illegal aliens impose a huge and ever-growing burden on the United States. even those work while here consume far more in public services than they contribute in taxes (if they pay taxes at all) and many others, like this feckless thug, contibute to nothing but the country's crime rates.

Sadly, many chose not to acknowledge these problems. To JoAnne, A, and others who would leap to the defense of people like this, I hope no one like this guy ever victimizes you. But if one does, don't come crying to me.
- Jack Phillips, Manchester, NH

Thanks for the history lesson, Joanne. It doesn't mean that someone should come to this country looking for "opportunitiies", not pay taxes like the rest of us, and then drive after 10-20 beers on the streets.

My great- grandparents came here looking for opportunities as well. My great- grandfather came from Italy and fought in World War II for this country. His son gave 22 years of his life while serving in the military as well. They came over and worked hard and paid taxes. No one ever handed them anything. They did not break the law coming in, they didn't break the laws once they got here.
- Beth, Raymond

William Smith, whether you were born here or not is irrelevant. If you are not of Native American lineage, your ancestors slaughtered the indigeous people to steal their land...... Read Wikipedia..The European colonization of the Americas nearly obliterated the populations and cultures of the Native Americans. From the 16th through the 19th centuries, the population of Native Americans in what became the United States suffered in the following ways: epidemic diseases brought from Europe, violence and possible genocide at the hands of European explorers and colonists, displacement from their lands, internal warfare, enslavement, and a high rate of intermarriage. Most mainstream scholars believe that, among the various contributing factors, epidemic disease was the overwhelming cause of the population decline of the American natives because of their lack of immunity to new diseases brought from Europe..............so, you think YOU belong here?
- Joanne, Manchester

Jessica from Manchester-NH,

"I can't believe you are allowing these racial or prejudice comments to post. It's sad that ignorance still exists in this state."

Please elaborate on how stating FACT is somehow racial or prejudice? Sorry but the race card does not work in this instance. The difference between Antonio Roman Garcia-Mercado and legal citizens is that the rest of us PAY TAXES. Here on planet Earth, we are sick of these CRIMINALS with their tax evasion and overall disrespect for the law.

FYI... Not all US Citizens are Caucasians. It is you miss who is truly ignorant.

Brian
- Brian, Exeter

The Native Americans are the only ones who belong here, Joanne? Well, guess what...I was BORN HERE. My family has been born here for generations. I *am* an AMERICAN. THAT is my heritage and I'm PROUD of it. I BELONG here.

And, Jessica, this man isn't an immigrant. He's an ILLEGAL immigrant. He has BROKEN OUR LAWS by entering without permission.
- William Smith, Manchester, NH

can somebody tell me who are the native americans?? what color is the native americans?? "the white americans came from europe" the native americans came from south central america. so just think about it and see the reality who below to this great and beatiful country.
- e.s manchester, manchester,nh

First of all I don't know why he has to be arraigned. Those rights should only be for Citizens of the United States. This is such a waste a taxpayers money. Not only do we waste court personnel's time but he needs a translator, more money. I say send him back to Mexico now and stop wasting money. This is exactly why we should be harsher on illegal immigrants. Luckily he didn't hit another car or person.
- Lynda, Manchester

As far as the interpreter issue, he probably speaks English. Court language is often difficult to understand regardless if English was his native language, especially a second. But it is the govt's fault that we don't have a National Language, so our complaining has no validity.

With that being said, he doesn't deserve his day in court. Let him go back to Mexico. That is even more punishment that having his already absent license revoked or to pay some silly fine. There is no point in spending money and resources on prosecuting someone that doesn't have the right to be here in the first place. I am not in the least bit xenophobic. I just understand the effort that my grandparents put into coming here and making right by this country, where others feel the need to come in here and either take a free ride off our system or get by avoiding paying taxes. I know some immigrants on a work Visa, and they are the hardest working people I know. They do all the jobs that everyone else is "too good" to do, but they took the necessary steps to be here, like this guy should have.
- Beth, Raymond

I can't beleive you are allowing these racial or prejudice comments to post. It's sad that ignorance still exists in this state. So what about all the Caucasians who commit many heinous crimes, does not being an immigrant make them any better. You are forgetting what his crime was and paying attention to his ethnicity. To all you folks out there commenting on this story why don't you go back to school and take a history lesson to see who truly belongs where.
- Jessica, Manchester, NH

Sure they are hard workers. First give em a gun and uniform send them to war and fight for this (FREEDOM) everybody wants. I have family that gave thier lives for this freedom. Any of his relatives die for this country? Not likely !!!
- d.s, manchester nh

Stephan i've been looking for a job like that and have no luck. I am a legal citizen, can you tell me where you work? I will apply today!!
- Mike, manchester

Ship him home, I don't care about them working etc...he broke the law by coming here good bye. These illegals swamp our infrastructure (hospitals, police, fire). Adios!
- SMD, Derry NH

The sentiment here, like the majority of the country, is that we don't want immigrants in our country illegally. Why can't our political leaders understand this and actually enforce the laws?
- Roy, Dover

Stephan:
You are either an illegal or a moron. This guy is lucky all he hit was a guardrail and not an innocent driver.

There is no problem with legal Mexicans working at your plant. It is the illegal ones that are not paying taxes, getting free health care (that you are paying for) and driving illegally. They are criminals and need to be sent back!
- phil, boscowen

Stefan, are you serious with those comments?
Driving after 10-20 beers on a Federal interstate with a speed limit of 65 miles an hour and hitting a guard rail is "no harm, no foul."

Not to mention the simple fact is that he is here illegally. I don't refute the fact that illegals can work hard, but they have no constitutional rights.

Talk about backward thinking, not everything is sunshine and lollipops Stefan.
- Leon, Manchester

Bob from Boston, I agree, but first let's send him back to the old country to visit his relatives for a while. Our Treat!

Wouldn't it be nice to have a paid vacation to go visit relatives then come back here to live and work illegally!

What a Country!
- Domenic, Manchester

Bob from Boston,
Keep that liberal BS out of our state. Stay in MA.
- Matt S, Bedford NH

Is everyone forgetting that the only people who TRULY BELONG in America are the Native Americans?
- Joanne, Manchester

Stefan, this has NOTHING to do with hate. It has EVERYTHING to do with the fact that this man broke our laws in coming here and now he's breaking even more of them.

We're all lucky he didn't kill someone in the process of drinking and driving.

If you're having difficulty finding workers of any color at $10/hour, then maybe it's time you raised your wages.

I'm sure they're nice people. However, they've broken the law by coming here illegally and should be punished.

Get a real job? I've got a career, thanks. How about you get a life and stop hiding behind racism.
- William Smith, Manchester, NH

Well Bob B if he should get section 8, medicaid and employment how about the same for me? I have lived in Manchester for 49 years and cannot make ends meet. Perhaps a trip to Mexico could be thrown in too. Then I could do something stupid and get a free trip back home. I could use a vacation.
- laurel, manchester

stefan in Manchester, what packaging company is this you work for that hires illegals? Very, very interesting.

Any law enforcement reading this? I think it's time for an ICE raid! And stefan there is knowingly aiding and abetting, too.

Hear that, people? A packaging company here knowingly hires illegals. Demand law enforcement investigations.
- John Singleton, Derry

A. from Manchester,

What makes this different from most other DWI's is the fact that illegal immigrants are really the only group that can afford to drink and drive. They don't pay taxes, so they can actually afford beer and gas! It's better when they can borrow a car. Our laws have no meaning (much like our language) to them, so they can habitually flout them with the "penalty" being a free trip home........
- Greg, Portland, ME

The employeer should not only pay his fine and for the expense of busing him back to Mexico, but also pay for any medical bills he might have generated for the 3, 4 or 5 kids I am sure he has that we the taxpayers footed the bill for.
- Sid, Merrimack

Sadly, the ACLU will make sure he stays.
- RJ, Concord

Why are we wasting our court time on non-citizens? Needs an interpreter?? This is nuts. This individual is a waste on our resources that could be used for CITIZENS. Deporting hasn't worked, lets use Mexico's style of illegal-immigration enforcement on its SOUTHERN border. 1st offense: 1 year in prison, where it is not a country club like ours. 2nd offense, they lay them to waste. Perhaps we should employ Mexican Southern Border policies when it comes to illegals.

To prevent these illegals from wanting to be here, give them ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. No health care, no free stuff, no welfare, NOTHING. If they work and are not draining our hospitals, schools, or any other resources, fine. If they go to a hospital for FREE medical, the hospital should turn them away. If they show up at city hall and can't speak the language, TURN THEM AWAY. If they do not like it, they can go back where they came from.
- Mike, Raymond

Here for seven years yet cannot speak english? Here seven years working and not paying taxes and the employer gets away with it? Sent back numerous times but keeps coming back? This is just an example of the travesty of illegal immigration and the governments refussal to do anything about it. We have a state legislature that will not do antyhign about it. We have a federal government that wants to give them all a free pass. I am not against immigrants because most of us have that heritage. On the other hand our ancestors had a process they had to go through and they did it. Will sending this guy back to Mexico help? No he will just come back and use a different name this time.
And "A" in Manchester your rhetoric is way off. The number of DUI's in a weekend do not come close to the number of illegal immigrants in this state. The facts are what they are and what this article shows is how nothing is done about illegal immigrants and has nothing to do with paranoia unless you have some.
- Bill B., Pelham

A. from Manchester,

I have read your posts on the U-L; you must be trying to stir up some frustration. There is no WAY you could possibly be serious. I suppose you think that Antonio Roman Garcia-Mercado deserves to be here. You are ridiculous and a fine example of the part of America that is "broken".

Brian
- Brian, Londonderry

We need to show compassion. He should get section 8 housing, a medicare card and offered employment in our great country.
- Bob B., Boston, MA

I can't believe the hate that has come out of this story. I work with quite a few Mexicans at a local packaging company and yes, some of them are illegal. They are hard workers. Do you know how hard it would be to get "white" workers to be employed for $10.00 dollars an hour? We try and cannot find them. This man had a few bears and hit a defenseless guard rail. No one was hurt. No harm no foul!! Give this man a break. There are too many bigots out there. Get off your back side and get a real job.
- stefan, manchester

Steve from Raymond- The real tragedy is that what you propose is already on the books. There are already stiff penalties for hiring people who are not supposed to be working. Unfortunately
no one in a position of authority has the guts to enforce them.
- Doug, Derry

I am tired of having to press "2" for English. Please bring back the rotary phone so that we do not have to press "2" for English!!
- Larry, Nashua

Throw him out of the country. Not only is this man a danger to his own well-being, he's a danger to American's traveling the roads. I have no sympathy for this behavior.

Save the legal system the trouble and ship him home.
- Leon, Manchester

What is wrong with our Government, if this was an true American Citizen we would have had the book thrown at us. Keep him in jail, do his hearing NOW, without the interperter as he should understand ENGLISH by now. Ship him back to Mexico. Don't tell me that there are better job opportunities here as a good chunk of our jobs get sent to Mexico as well as China and India.
Let's hope the next President has a spine and will address this nations broken imigration system.
- Cheryl Kelley, Derry

An Illegal Alien who has been deported several times and who drives without a license after 10 to 20 beers. We have too many native born citizens doing this.Why do we need this guy? How does America become a richer country by having this guy? This kind of multiple deportee is who DHS is targeting right now.
- Chris, Merrimack

I don't want this guy going to jail HERE...we'll be paying even MORE for his residency in the United States.

I wish he could go to jail somewhere else.
- William Smith, Manchester, NH

Thanks NH Democrat controlled legisLature for blocking immigration enforcement legislation. Shame on you, NH is a magnet for illegals, exactly for this reason, we do not enforce the law.
- josh tiffany, warner nh

We need to start charging mexico 7 barells of oil per month per person for each person who has been dumped here by that government. Mexico needs to stop training and encouraging its people to enter America illegally.
- mark, manchester

If that is the case then it is time for some serious jail time for this guy...
- Rick Olson, Manchester

I read a pamphlet at the local police station that a first time drunk driving arrest cost about $5000, for a citizen that is, they should have added. I bet this guy pays nothing and gets another free trip home. What they ought to do is make his employer pay the fine and his deportation cost. Very simple, very frugal. And it would discourage illegal immigration, inexpensively.
I'm tired of paying for medical expenses by getting ridiculously high bills when I go in for tests, because when they show up at a local hospital and get everything free. I'm tired of supporting these people by wage pressure and lost benefits on my job, not to mention the taxes I pay.
Anybody caught hiring illegal aliens, should be fined not less than $10,000.00 per incident. And they ought to be forced to pick up the tab for the medical bills too.
- Steve, Raymond

It almost sound like the wirter has sympathy for this criminal. He is here ILLEGALLY. He should go through the trial process while remaining in custody & then after the process servce his sentence & then have the bus waiting to take him home to mexico. no questions.
- kd, merrimack

After seven years he needs an interpeter ???? Waste of Money give him to ICE
- clyde ortega, hampstead

If this person has indeed been sent back to Mexico a couple of times in the past seven years, this proves that the system does not work and that there is no way that we will be able to keep aliens out of our country or state..It is no wonder that our Health and Human Services budget is shot..The time has come to deny these services to those who do not deserve it and to take care of our own.
- dick johnson, Warren

What makes this different from any other DWI? Maybe it's just the chance to raise the spectre of Manchester being swamped with furtive illegals waiting to steal jobs from native-born Americans.

On any given week-end, the number of NH DUIs for native born Americans probably swamps the total number of illegals living in NH, drunk or sober. The vast majority of Hispanic-Americans living here are hard-working, honest and have all necessary papers, but we can always count on the U-L to stir up paranoia, can't we?
- A, Manchester