Schultheis e-mail divisive

Questions posed after triple fatality called insensitive, justified

Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

A lawmaker's e-mail to the Greeley newspaper questioning the immigration status of the family of three children killed in a car accident has caused deep divisions in this northern Colorado farm community.

On Oct. 2, Tania Bustillos, 17, was driving her younger brothers home from school. Her infant daughter was also in the car when she drove through a stop sign in rural Weld County and was hit by a pickup truck.

Her 15-year-old brother, Enrique Bustillos, died that evening. Her other brother, Miguel, 12, died the following day. And on Wednesday, the family reportedly took her daughter, 3-month-old Destiny Musquiz, off life support. On that same day, a reporter for the Greeley Tribune received an e-mail from state Rep. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs.

"Was the driver properly licensed? Was the vehicle properly registered and insured? Was this person the child of parents in the U.S. illegally? Or was she here illegally?" Schultheis wrote.

"Why is it that the investigative reports we read in the papers and see on TV do not point out the fact that these accidents and the resulting cost to taxpayers (hospitalization, etc.) are a direct result of our lax immigration policies and enforcement?" he asked.

The e-mail was quickly posted to the newspaper's Web site, prompting more than 100 responses. While some agreed with Schultheis' inquiry, others questioned its relevance, as well as his timing.

"There are a lot of people in this town who are upset at Mr. Schultheis' insensitivity," said Sylvia Martinez, chairwoman of the Greeley-based community group Latinos Unidos of Northern Colorado. "He asked a totally inappropriate question at a time when this family was grieving a major loss."

Martinez appeared on a local Spanish-language radio station on Monday to discuss the incident, and said the station was flooded with calls from listeners who were outraged by Schultheis' action.

"Most people said this wouldn't happen if the family's last name had been Johnson or Smith," said Martinez. "Should we be questioning the legal status of everyone who looks Hispanic or has a Hispanic-sounding last name?"

Susanne Villareal, a Greeley resident who has been active in the Hispanic community and who teaches citizenship classes with her husband, said the Bustilloses were legal residents, to the best of her knowledge.

"Aside from the fact that a tragic accident has nothing to do with immigration, questioning your residency status while you're burying your babies is just plain heartless," she said.

But Joy Breuer, a Greeley resident who has been a vocal opponent of illegal immigration, said Schultheis asked "what needed to be asked."

"I think the newspapers should be letting the citizens of Colorado know when illegals are committing crimes or costing taxpayers money," she said. "Mr. Schultheis was simply asking the question that should have been asked all along."

Breuer also complained about the amount of coverage the Greeley Tribune has given to the Bustilloses, including a slide show of the funeral on its Web site.

"I think, with this particular issue of immigration, people are tired of all the sad faces and sad stories," she said. "Greeley is starting to wake up. Illegal immigration is hurting our communities and our way of life."

Still, two days after his e-mail was posted, Schultheis was quoted as regretting the timing of his questions.

"There is no question the timing of my question was inappropriate," he said.

Schultheis said he did not know that the fatal accident had just happened and that one of the family members had just been taken off life support. He blamed the Tribune for publishing what he said was a question from one of his constituents at an inopportune time.

"I feel like I was blindsided maliciously," he said. "If the Tribune had the best interest of the family and the community in mind, they might have put off posting my e-mail and turning it into a huge deal. I believe they share the majority of the responsibility."

But Tribune Editor Randy Bangert said Schultheis' comments were posted when the newspaper received them, as a matter of course.

"His comments strike me as 'blame the messenger,' " Bangert said. "Our timing reflects his timing. Our reporter decided to put the e-mail in her blog when she received it. I'm surprised that an elected official would be blindsided by what we did. Immigration is of concern to our readers. Any communication, whether verbal or electronic, would be considered fodder for our newspaper."

quinterof@RockyMountainNews.com