The recent charges of a brutal rape allegedly by two illegal aliens, one of which is an adult, in Rockville, Maryland has ignited a national and local debate on many issues we face in our society. The issues surrounding this case bring forth a myriad of questions and concerns by many in our community; regardless of any assumed ideological intent, they are nonetheless valid and deserve attention. It is constitutionally unseemly, and indeed a violation of a sacred trust, that others among our elected body of government have determined the concerns of their constituents are not worthy to be heard.
Tuesday night’s vote to not have the issues heard and discussed by Loudoun County School Board is an incredible disappointment and stain on this elected body and indeed for Loudoun County. Our constituents deserve better – and for those who will listen, they are demanding better. It was suggested to me that this should be run through committee but by doing so, it will take months for a public conversation to occur; if it survives the committee process. I will continue to deliver on my promise and maintain my oath to be their voice, their fighter, and their humble servant until such a time The People deem appropriate. As a U.S. Marine, I know no other alternative.
As mentioned before, the savage rape inflicted upon a 14-year-old child in our neighboring county has raised many sensitive topics. Soon after this information came to light, the media, pressed by their audience, most of which are our constituents, were seeking answers to questions. Not one local or state official in our region stepped forward. When The People had questions and concerns, predicated by fear, anger, and disbelief, their elected officials remained silent. In my judgment, political paralysis interfered with the duty and responsibility they owed their communities. I have no reservation and will make no apology for standing up and being the lone voice on a matter that no one else decided to speak on, despite the potential political retribution. At the end of the day, principles are anchors, not chess pieces.
Allow me to clarify and highlight those issues here because some of my critics on social media maintain an alternative ideological agenda. They have tried to troll and distort the facts and challenges relevant to this situation, a tragedy in itself. Like other criminal cases we’ve seen, this case in Rockville has very unique circumstances. These circumstances have collided into a near perfect storm of issues and include:
• Adult illegal aliens co-mingled with children in public schools
• The issue of sexual assaults of school students in general (particularly during school hours)
• School security and protocol
• Background checks and vetting of adult students with whom we have NO information
• Resource allocation to undocumented students
• How schools determine and grant acceptance of undocumented students
• Current school board policies pertaining undocumented students
• Current laws covering undocumented students in relation to public schools
• Local government sanctuary policies
• Requirements placed on local government and schools in relation to illegal aliens
• Developmental assimilation programs for undocumented students
• Recent MS-13 gang activity in our schools and their correlation to illegal aliens
Since I began to research and communicate the topic, I have shared the information with the public and found that there are only two groups of students who are 18+ years old and permitted in 9th grade, these are our English Language Learners (ELL) and Special Education students. LCPS currently has 46 students in 9th grade who are 18 years old and 5 students in 9th grade who are 19-20 years old. Of the 51 students, 48 of them are ELL (English Language Learners), 2 Special Education and 1 who qualified for both classifications.
As a result of communicating this and other information and ideas, I’ve been called a bigot, racist, sexist, uneducated, an asshole, xenophobic, a pedophile and received numerous threats.
We’re facing a severe problem in this country and specifically in our communities, yet this is how it is handled; political witch hunts, smearing, and perverse comments by an organized political party to exploit tragedies such as this. I fear it will only harm the students that we all seek to assist. The partisan discourse that has been taking place on this matter of public importance has reached a disgusting and deplorable low. Is this the new standard of debate? Do we preach tolerance then practice none of it? When did we replace constructive dialogue, respectable debate, and overall decency with hateful rhetoric maligning of personal character, and propaganda laced language? We constantly demand, and rightly so, better from our students, better from our teachers, we need to set an example and demand better from ourselves. To even consider this issue to be about race, gender, or discrimination is disingenuous and remarkably inappropriate.
One of the most important and vulnerable segments of our population are the immigrants who have come to contribute to the great American enterprise. The most important lessons we teach our students, particularly the legally immigrated and newly naturalized citizens, is that this is a nation built on the rule of law. It truly is one of the hallmarks of this great nation. However, we, as a society, face a dilemma regarding illegal aliens whose entire presence in the United States undermines that imperative trait. This issue has led to heated debate and underpins the challenge in explaining double standards of a system of law that nobody is above. However, that very same rule of law demands that we educate and assimilate illegal alien children into our public schools. The 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution which reads:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Decades of jurisprudence, as set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case called Plyler v. Doe (1982), which in a 5-4 decision, determined that illegal alien children have the right to due process as set forth by the 14th amendment, insofar as the term “persons” is applicable in their case, and may attend public school. To that end, we will ensure all children will receive an education in our public schools.
As society evolves so do the threats we face. Very dangerous elements of the criminal underworld, such as MS-13, have ravaged their countries of origin. Under the guise of other illegal aliens trying to flee those countries, many come to the United States, abuse the compassionate resources that we offer, and commit horrible atrocities in the U.S., all the while fueling our drug and violent crime epidemic which only serves their ability to fund their empire’s growth. These atrocities range from war, drug trafficking, murder, torture, rape, sex trafficking of children, and the list goes on. This is a ruthless and evil organization that unfortunately live and thrive among other illegal aliens. However, without proper vetting, testing, and identification (as it is through the legal naturalization process) we cannot fully, or even partially determine who is here and in what capacity. Let me be clear; there is no evidence, which I am aware of, that link the two illegal aliens accused of this brutal rape in Rockville to MS-13. However, their status as illegal aliens and given their country of origin being abundantly plagued by this violence provide enough reasonable latitude to ask more probing and legitimate questions. Should they have been deported more expeditiously? Should these grown men have been allowed to attend classes with children? Do they have a record of previous criminal behavior in the U.S.? How can we best provide a successful educational opportunity, especially if they are deemed high risk? How can we better assist with assimilation but also ensure safety and improper influence does not play a factor in our schools? Does current Federal and state law hinder our ability to address these issues? Do Federal laws like FERPA need to be re-debated or amended? These are just a sample of questions that have been asked and brought to my attention by constituents.
Meanwhile, MS-13 gang members of similar age groups are trolling through our community, brutally slaying and raping our children, such as is the case in Springfield when the remains of a 15 year-old-girl had been found in February; held prisoner, tortured, then executed. Nine of the ten perpetrators were teenagers, 6 of the 10 were illegal aliens. Alternatively, the case out of Fairfax where the remains of two bodies were discovered, and authorities believe there is strong evidence of an MS-13 connection there as well. Or the raid conducted by law enforcement in Leesburg back in June as it was suspected to be an MS-13 safe house or MS-13 ‘tags’ spray painted at Dominion High School, or the scores of children who go missing across our region either through kidnapping and sold into slavery, or assimilated into a gang culture. According to the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, they are monitoring an increase of high school and middle school student gang recruitment at an alarming rate. According to the FBI, many of our unaccompanied and undocumented students are at a high risk for recruitment into gangs. The political correctness culture is hindering us from discussing these problems, and therefore negatively impacting our ability to keep children safe.
Many of the immigrant students placed in the LCPS system come with zero documentation, which is MUCH different from the regular student who comes from outside of the county or state. We do not require any discipline records or mental health screenings upon registering ANY student, but once records have been requested from their previous school, this information is included if applicable. We should never deny anyone seeking an education from doing so, but we must deny potential threats to our students through responsible and sensible mitigation.
Moving forward, I will continue to make sure that ALL of our students have the resources that they need to be successful. LCPS could benefit from alternative programs, which to date we have one. The Douglass School. However, we should explore the idea and possibility of expanding Douglass and I also think we could greatly benefit from additional alternative education programs for our more challenging students whether they are immigrants or not. Programs and policy, such as alternative schooling, need to be consistently reviewed to safeguard against failure and to ensure they are meeting the needs of our children – and this is exactly what I intend to do.
