The other shoe drops

On Tuesday this week there was a terrible accident near Cottonwood, Mn. that involved a school bus and two other vehicles. Four of the students on the bus were killed and 14 other people, mostly students, were injured. I've been waiting for this shoe to drop since yesterday, when the names of the vehicle drivers were released along with the information that the driver of the van that apparently caused the accident did not have a valid driver's license:

Van Driver Arrested for Role in Minnesota School Bus Crash

Authorities have confirmed that the the driver of the van that struck the school bus that killed 4 students on Tuesday is an illegal alien.

Officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement are checking to see where she came from and how long she's been in Minnesota. FOX 9 has also learned that the name she gave to police, Alainiss Morales, is an alias.

It looks like she was cited for and pleaded guilty to driving without a license in 2006. She was arrested today on charges of criminal vehicular homicide. We'll find out more tomorrow if they actually file formal charges against her as planned.

You know, if it turns out that this woman should have been deported more than a year ago I'm just going to be furious. What's also infuriating is the apparent embargo of this aspect by Twin Cities media outlets except for our local FOX station. I found out about this from a Memeorandum link to Michelle Malkin and not from what should be THE source for news in the Minnesota, the Minneapolis StarTribune.  Oh wait...it looks like there may be a crack forming in the PC facade:

Federal immigration officials are assisting the State Patrol's investigation of the crash and are looking into Morales' background, according to Tim Counts, local spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Morales' arrest will help authorities determine her status with fingerprints and other information. "Now that she's actually in someone's custody, that will facilitate our procedures," Counts said.

Tragedies happen all of the time and in the vast majority of cases they do not involve illegal aliens. I will even go so far as to say that the vast majority of illegal aliens are good people that are just trying to get ahead in life. And what is most important right now is the thoughts and prayers for the grieving family and friends of those four children.

All of that said though, when the mourning period has passed I want to see some accountability. Not just Ms. Morales either. If it turns out that she could have and should have been deported more than a year ago it means those kids would likely be alive today if some people had done their damned jobs.

I want to know who those people are.

I want to know why.

I want them to get new jobs, preferably ones where their screw ups won't end up with dead kids.

Damn.

Update: Well, the Strib is now clearly noting the issue of Morales' legal status in the country. To be fair to them, the unknowns around her actual identity don't make things very clear and the article at that link just above states that it's not even certain if it was actually her that was cited in 2006 for driving without a license. I think it's better to step back a bit until all of this is sorted out. Morales is not cooperating as far as her real name is concerned and between that and the circumstances of the crash, I think there will be more revelations in the near future.

Comments

[Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life]

Not really on point, but a vaguely related (and slightly personal) anecdote.

You know that all school buses (among others) are ALWAYS required to stop at railroad crossings under all circumstances, right? There's a specific reason for that. The terrible story occurred in 1921, and is recounted here.

The personal part? I've seen the graves of the children. Both of my parents, my grandparents, a great-grandparent, and several other relatives are buried in that cemetery.

[Dave E.]

I had not heard that before, Ken. What a terrible tragedy for all those families. At least that led to changes that have probably saved many lives over the years. I'm not so confident that the deaths of those four children in Cottonwood will lead to any changes though. I hope so, but I won't bet on it.

[Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life]

Well, I'm not sure it should lead to changes, unless it's shown that being an illegal alien actually led to it. I'm all in favor of deporting illegals in favor of the people who follow the rules but I'd hate to see it lead to poorly thought out laws when it could have happened to a citizen.

[Dave E.]

It's tough to say at this point, because some of the "facts" around this accident have actually gotten murkier in the last day. The questions I have and the changes do not center on the current court proceeding, you are absolutely correct that immigration status probably doesn't matter in that.

What I'm talking about is if this person popped above the radar as an illegal alien prior to this accident and people just ignored that. If that's the case I want to know why. If Morales could have and should have been deported more than a year ago, those kids might be alive today.

I don't want to see this woman demonized, nor any immigrant, legal or illegal. But our failure to deal with immigration issues may be a part of this tragedy. I want to know if that's true or not. Because if it is then it's one more reason to face up to the consequences of that failure to deal with the issue responsibly.

For the record, I'm neither a "deport them all" nor an "open borders" person. I consider both of those positions foolish and irresponsible.

[Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life]

Yeah, me too. I'm against amnesty for those who broke the rules, but also against trying to deport all the illegals currently here (rather, I'm in favor of deporting those found and sending them to the end of the immigration line but not in favor of spending billions to find them).

OTOH, I'm all in favor of revamping our insane immigration rules to let more people in without oppressing them as we do now. But it needs to be controlled. I know, easier said than done. But I am adamantly opposed to amnesty for the aliens who jumped the line in front of those who try to follow the rules.