It’s the story of another “Wrong Way Driver on the Interstate.” But there’s a twist.

Not only was the reckless driver drunk beyond all reason. Not only did he lack a valid driver’s license, but he was also an illegal immigrant twice deported from this country.

A statement released by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke provided the details:

Earlier this morning [Thursday], Armando Espinoza-Hipolito (aka Espinoza-Ipolito, age 35), was observed by witnesses driving the wrong way in the westbound lanes of I-43 at S. 60th Street. MPD and sheriff’s deputies responded and placed him under arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, as well as 2nd Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, a felony with up to ten years in prison upon conviction.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has been notified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that their records indicate that Espinoza-Hipolito has been previously deported not once, but twice, from the United States. Their records do not show that his third appearance in the United States was done through legal channels. ICE has placed a hold on this illegal alien. He will be kept at the Milwaukee County Jail pending his drunken driving and felony 2nd RES charges and further deportation action.

“It is pretty obvious to me that our border is not secure when an individual illegally comes in to the United States not once, not twice, but three times. He may have a drunken driving offense in another state, which would make this offense a crime. Why should we have to wait for Espinoza-Hipolito to kill somebody driving drunk and the wrong way on the Milwaukee County interstate before immigration laws kick in to protect American lives?” Clarke said.

The case is interesting in and of itself. But this is also another flashpoint in Sheriff Clarke’s war with the left-wing “Immigration Rights” group Voces de la Frontera. Voces has long attacked Sheriff Clarke for his repeated cooperation in ICE’s “Secure Communities” Program. The purpose of the program, is to deport from the country any illegal immigrants arrested in Milwaukee County.

In April, Voces sued the sheriff’s office in an open records lawsuit, claiming Clarke’s department was overzealous in its enforcement of “Secure Communities.” Voces even got the Milwaukee County Board to pass a 2012 resolution that asked the Sheriff’s department to ‘retreat from the program’ except in cases of ‘serious committed crimes.’

Sheriff Clarke has long ignored the non-binding resolution and continued to enforce the law.
If the Espinoza-Hipolito arrest signifies anything, it’s that Clarke needs to stay the course; and Voces – which personally acted as field staff for Clarke’s most recent primary opponent, Lt. Chris Moews – has a lot of explaining to do to justify its continued activism on the behalf of illegal immigrants with little regard for the law.