Chertoff Defends Immigration Enforcement

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says he feels the pain of employers pinched by intensified efforts to control illegal immigration, but adds that until Congress enacts broad immigration reforms they shouldn’t expect any changes in enforcement.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Chertoff said this week that the rising complaints from businesses offer some evidence the Bush administration’s approach is working.

[...]

Chertoff sharply criticized businesses that complain the crackdowns on their hiring of illegal immigrants will cost them money. In a federal court case last year, groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argued that the department had failed to account for the economic impact of new regulations on businesses.

The argument “basically suggests we can’t enforce the law because it will prevent people from making money illegally,” Chertoff said. “The business community loves it (hiring illegal immigrants) because you have illegals, you pay them less, they have no place to go to complain.”

It sad that such an article has been written, and sadder still that Chertoff had to defend enforcing the law.

The mostly ignored story is that most of us who support strict enforcement of illegal immigration are strong supporters of legal immigration.

There are two parts to the issues that drive illegal immigration across our southern border. The “carrots” of U.S. jobs and service that draw illegals have been well documented. Less mention is made of the economic and other “sticks” that drive people from Mexico to make the trip.

Well this is just going to make things worse.

Jose Antonio Zepeda, a city deputy for President Felipe Calderon’s conservative National Action Party, wants to introduce the idea of compensation for backing out of a wedding as part of changes to the capital’s civil code.

“He or she who refuses to live up to a marriage commitment will pay for the expenses that the other party made in connection with the planned matrimony,” Zepeda’s proposal says.

Be on the lookout for wedding gowns and tuxedos along the border.

One of the many reasons that Fred Thompson needs to be the next President of the United States.

CARROLL, Iowa – Republican Fred Thompson said Thursday there should be few if any exceptions when it comes to enforcing U.S. immigration laws, or the flow of illegal immigrants would continue.

[...]

“It is not good, in my opinion, for our country to start becoming dependent on a constant flow of illegal immigrants that are usually less educated and come here only because they’ll work cheaper than somebody else will,” he said. “And when and if they were to assimilate into American society, we would need another 11 or 12 million (illegal immigrants), and another 11 or 12 million after that.”

Thompson said the legal immigration system in the U.S. has inefficiencies and people get caught up in the bureaucracy. But he said the rule of law must be the top priority.

“We have to look out No. 1 for what is right, what is the law. If you’re coming and saying ‘It’s against the law, but,’ I think you’ve got to have a very good reason, and I very seldom see a reason that justifies the ‘but’ if it’s against the law.”

[...]

Thompson proposes cutting off incentives to illegal immigrants. That means keeping employers from hiring them in the first place, and sealing the borders to keep illegal immigrants going back and forth between jobs and family. He said it also means shutting down sanctuary cities and keeping illegal immigrants from getting college and other breaks.

“Over a period of time, I think the situation will reverse itself,” he said.

That’s a stand I can stand behind.

They finally have the right person behind bars.

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, who was shot in the buttocks in February 2005 after fleeing from border agents during a smuggling attempt, has been indicted on charges of smuggling marijuana in September and October of that year, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton said Thursday.

Aldrete is to appear Friday in federal court.

He was arrested Thursday at an El Paso border crossing on charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to import a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

If convicted, Aldrete faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Long, long overdue.

Also long overdue is the release of the two agents who should never have been jailed.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said Thursday that Aldrete’s arrest and indictment should have come sooner.

“It’s about time they arrested the drug dealer,” Culberson said in a statement issued by his office in Washington. “It’s long past time for them to release agents Ramos and Compean.”

Long past time is right.

Click on image for larger view.

I was reading a story on Yahoo! News about San Fransisco’s plan to issue ID cards to, “illegal immigrants, transgender people and other residents who may be unable or unwilling to get a state-issued driver’s license.” I found it interesting that the picture along side of the story is of a woman casting a ballot. After all, isn’t new Democratic voters the hoped for result of these programs?

Supervisor Tom Ammiano introduced the ID card concept after Congress failed to adopt immigration reform legislation this summer and following a series of federal immigration raids in the Bay area.

“Our city just can’t stand by while our federal government takes no action to address the safety needs of our community,” he said. “If our friends and neighbors are not fully able to participate with us in civic life, we all lose in the end.” [my emphasis]

Or, here’s an idea, if they want to participate in civic life why not do so in the country in which they are legally allowed?

Wow. Most of those who are paying any attention to the story of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s plan to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants will know that he has abandoned that effort. What impresses me is the spin he attempts to put on the plan.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday he was abandoning a plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, but said that the federal government had “lost control” of its borders and left states to deal with the consequences.

I agree with him that the federal government has lost control of the borders, but how does offering the incentive of identification help in any way?

But those who want to bring these potential Democrat voters illegal immigrants “out of the shadows” just don’t get it.

“This governor was not defeated by anything other than the hate in this country toward immigrants right now,” said Rep. Jose Serrano, a Bronx Democrat.

It is NOT hate toward immigrants. It is about security, sovereignty, and the rule of law.

No matter how you try to spin it.

Waiting on the final count, but Captain Ed has 53 voting against. More than enough to kill this farce.

Give a frontiersman coffee and tobacco, and he will endure any privation, suffer any hardship, but let him be without these two necessaries of the woods, and he becomes irresolute and murmuring. ~ U.S. Army Lt. William Whiting, 1849

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) The Prospects For The Amnesty Bill Today

Moreover, here’s something else you have to consider: if it looks like the odds are against the bill passing, how many of these Senators are going to vote for an incredibly unpopular bill even if they think it will probably go down to defeat? Maybe some of these guys, like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Trent Lott are so associated with this bill that they figure they might as well go down with the ship, but do the Senators who haven’t been lumped in with one side or the other really want to go out in a “blaze of glory,” too? My guess is that a lot of them are going to think really hard about the wisdom of doing that before the vote.

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Who Sires The Dead Duck?

Reid used an unprecedented procedure, the “clay pigeon”, and then set up the rules so that no one could offer any further amendments. He turned the world’s greatest deliberative body into the In-N-Out Debate Society, a railroad job so complete that the only rational option to punish him for it is to shoot down cloture and embarass him publicly for it.

The next (and final?) showdown will be in about an hour. Michelle Malkin will be at the keyboard with the latest.

As the Senate continues the Shamnesty Shell Game, local law enforcement is doing the job federal officials won’t.

The sheriff’s department has developed a remarkably effective—and controversial—way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs.

[...]

“It’s not wrong for them to run, but it’s not wrong for us to chase them either,” said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who created his Illegal Alien Task Force in April to target construction sites in this Florida Panhandle county.

Of course we hear from the usual suspects.

Immigrant advocates say the technique is repugnant, and the ACLU says its constitutionality is questionable.

Illegal immigrants are leaving town. And builders are worried the crackdown will deprive them of the labor they need to take part in a building boom in which Panama City’s Beach cheap spring-break motels are being torn down and replaced with high-rise condos.

And what illegal immigration story would be complete without the sob story from one of the law breakers.

Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Madrid, 28, said he has been unable to find a construction job over the past six weeks because of the crackdown, and hasn’t been able to send money to his parents and his 7-year-old son back home.

“We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported,” he said. “The companies don’t want to hire illegal people. Now they’re only hiring those with papers.”

Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project.

“Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers,” he said. “Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built.”

Legal workers should be insulted.

I was watching paint dry on CSPAN2 just now with Senator Jeff Sessions speaking. He was making the point that experts in the area of immigration (former ICE, Homeland Security, etc.) are opposed to this bill. He said that, “perhaps we (the Senate) should listen to these experts. Experts, not radio show hosts, experts.” He than added, “I would suggest that many of the talk radio show hosts know this bill better than the Senate.”

That’s gonna leave a mark.

Note, the quotes may not be exact. I wasn’t recording.

The drink that comforteth the brain and heart and helpeth digestion. ~ Sir Francis Bacon

I will be gathering links to posts that are discussing the Senate version of the “Shamnesty” bill and the amendments that will be offered over the next few days.

Once again, NZ Bear has the web-friendly version of the June 26th Amendment Package.

More as it is gathered.

If you have a post about the Senate bill or the amendments you can trackback to this post and have it appear below:

Trackback URI | Permalink

Coffee is good for talent, but genius wants prayer. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy 1st Blogiversary to:
Ron’s Musings

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Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Afghanistan’s Turn

The real story is that Democrats do not have the stomach to fight wars to victory. They will eventually start undermining the war in Afghanistan the way they have in Iraq, issuing defeatist analyses to prove that we’re losing, that America cannot defeat its enemies, and that we should admit defeat and retreat to Okinawa, or perhaps even further away this time.

Michael Yon Online Drilling for Justice

Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) had tarnished its name here by publicly attacking and murdering children, videotaping beheadings, all while imposing harsh punishments on Iraqi civilians found guilty of violating morality laws prohibiting activities like smoking. The AQI installed Sharia court had sanctioned the amputation of the two “smoking fingers” for those who violated anti-smoking laws. In part because local sentiment was shifting against it, AQI synthesized with other groups and undertook an image makeover, christening itself “The Islamic State of Iraq.” But the new name was just lipstick on a pig here.

Michelle Malkin is liveblogging the “Shamnesty” bill on the Senate floor. Refresh for updates.