February 18, 2014 06:56 PM UTC

A Different Ken Buck Video About Domestic Violence

• 8 Comments
• by: catpuzzle

Ken Buck’s campaign is out this morning with a video touting his commitment to fighting domestic violence. Obviously, he’s trying to preempt some of the issues that dogged his last campaign, like his decision not to prosecute a rapist who confessed to the crime, calling the woman’s claims “buyers remorse”, or his issues with sexual harassment.

But it’s a little bizarre that he’d want to dwell on issues like domestic violence, given how abysmal and heartless his record has really been when it comes to protecting victims. Some of this came up in 2010, but I think it’s worth refreshing our memories about who Ken Buck really is, and how extreme he is on these issues.

Take, for instance, this video – which tells a very different story about Ken Buck’s unwillingness to protect a victim of domestic violence. A failure to do so that was probably driven by Ken “I eat Mexican food” Buck’s extremist, rigid anti-immigrant politics.

The video details the case of Maria Gaspar. As the Greeley Trib wrote,

If Maria Gaspar had been assaulted by her former boyfriend in any county but Weld, she might still be in the United States.

But she wasn't. Gaspar, who was repeatedly beaten by her boyfriend, finally reported the crime in Greeley. The boyfriend was prosecuted and deported.

And because Gaspar is also considered an illegal alien – although at one time she did have a legal work permit – she, too, was deported, only to be victimized again in her native Guatemala by the same boyfriend.

…

A victim of certain crimes – including domestic violence, abduction, sexual assault, trafficking and other serious crimes – who has suffered substantial physical or mental abuse – may apply if he or she "has been, is being, or is likely" to help law enforcement investigate or prosecute the crime.

U Visa recipients can stay in the United States for up to four years and may, after three years, apply for permanent residency, or a green card.

Weld District Attorney Ken Buck, however, has been reluctant to sign off on the U Visas, especially for crimes that have already been prosecuted. His office has approved just three out of 20 requests in the past three years. Gaspar's request was one of those denied.

Buck argues that just "because you become a victim of a crime doesn't mean you win the citizenship or green-card lottery."

That’s right. Newly sympathic victims' rights “champion” / 2014 senate candidate Ken Buck had Gaspars deported back to Guatemala for stepping forward and reporting the assault. He sent her back to her attacker. And then attacker beat her again and tried to kill her and almost did, except for her uncle showing up at the last second to save her. That’s the problem with Ken Buck: no matter how many of these fluffy stories he tells, at root he’s an extreme right winger who puts his extreme conservative politics ahead of doing the right thing.

As the Greeley Tribune put it,

Buck says illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for doing what legal, law-abiding citizens would do; help law enforcement. But we submit they should not be punished either.

Exactly. And he certainly shouldn’t have put a victim of domestic violence at risk to be attacked again.