Tancredo blames officials for killings

NEWARK, N.J., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo brought his presidential campaign to New Jersey to blame Newark officials for the killing of three college students.

Tancredo’s campaign is centered on opposition to illegal immigration. Some of the six suspects charged in the shooting deaths appear to be in the United States illegally.

“If the suspects are found guilty, Newark and its political leadership share a degree of responsibility,” Tancredo said on the steps of Newark’s City Hall. “I encourage the family of the victims to pursue a lawsuit against the city.”

Tancredo had a small group of supporters with him Monday, while a few more opponents protested his speech, The New York Times reported.

New Jersey officials are trying to determine why one of the suspects in the killings, an illegal immigrant from Peru, was freed on bail after two earlier arrests. Tancredo suggested Newark and Essex County authorities are deliberately shielding illegal immigrants.

“These folks descend from out of town to protest in front of City Hall at this time; I find that troubling,” Mayor Cory Booker said. “Talking about anyone being complicit in such a heinous crime -- I find those words vulgar.”