Posted on 07/01/2006 4:38:09 AM PDT by Boston Blackie
Austin could lose federal grants because of its approach to policing illegal immigrants under a bill passed Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, who sponsored the measure, said it would apply to Austin and 31 other cities and counties nationwide that prevent police officers from asking people they arrest, detain or stop whether they are in the country legally. Federal law says that state and local governments can't prevent police officers from determining a person's immigration status, Culberson said.
"You have human smugglers and drug smugglers and terrorists that are crossing into the United States. Determining a person's legal status is a vital law enforcement tool," he said.
He pointed to a January 2004 case in which 18-year-old Virginia Garcia was raped and murdered in Austin by David Diaz Morales. Culberson said Morales, an illegal immigrant, had been arrested previously for child molestation, but was not deported because Austin prevents police officers from determining immigration status.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
Cool beaners.
This is cool. There's no reason the rest of us should pay for these cities failures.
Somehow, some way, the Senate will screw this up.
Somehow, some way, the Senate will screw this up.And here's the way:
Analyze the plan and come up with four possible implementations and then choose the one that does the least, costs the most, and has the greatest chance of failure.
YESSSSSSSSS! About time someone in the Stupid Party did this.
Virginia Garcia's family should hire a good Houston attorney and sue Austin for hundreds of millions for enabling her murderer to stay in this country.
I would go after anyone even remotely responsible for helping him stay including employers, anyone who rented to him etc.
Of course they will.
Austin and 31 other cities and counties nationwide that prevent police officers from asking people they arrest, detain or stop whether they are in the country legally.
I don’t know how many States have two or more of these cities, But you have to assume that the Senators for these Cities are going to do their best to protect these cities from loosing their Federal dollars.
Thirty-two cities are going to add up to a sizable force in the Senate.
I'm not 100% certain of this however,although that's *exactly* the kind of thing he'd do....being a "progressive" and all.
Not necessarily,IMO.I can't imagine statewide Republican candidates in TX seeing votes from Austin being vital to their prospects.
Too bad we can't organize our own vote more effectively. Too bad conservatives can't vote as a block, witholding votes as a block, turning out as a block. We could effect real change in this country if we could just act as a block.
It's good to get this passed now because these cities would likely fight or ignor any bill passed later.
The cities don't have Senators - the states do. I don't think that my Senators - Cornyn and Hutchinson - will be supporting Austin. Austin is waaaaaay liberal for this red state.
Texas is only one state.
California is another state, much more liberal. There are others that will join them.
When it comes to keeping Federal dollars flowing in to a state I wouldn’t bet against any but the most conservative Senator standing up to protect those dollars.
Voters tend to get cranky when their precious programs are cut.
Happy birthday America! This is good.
Actually since the 17th Amendment the people of the States have Senators.
You may be right about Austin and Texas’ Senators but most of the other 31 cities will probably be supported by their Senators.
I agree. Unfortunately it is too risky.
Withhold your vote from a lack luster politician (like my own Mike DeWine) and you risk putting someone like Nancy Pelosi in power.
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