| Why won't the Bush administration give us a strong manager from a BORDER STATE that actually understands the issue instead of a clown operating on theory? Because George W. Bush, much as I like him, has always been soft on illegal immigration.
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Posted on 07/12/2004 10:51:41 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
Border Patrol agents who executed highly popular roundups of illegal aliens in Southern California last month – the first of their kind in recent memory – say they've been told to stop such enforcement action, and the Bush administration official in charge of the immigration enforcement has refused to say if there would be additional sweeps in the future.
In an extraordinary radio interview Thursday on Los Angeles talk-radio station KFI, talk-show host John Kobylt grilled Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson about why the roundups had been ended. The official, a former congressman who works under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, attempted to defend the Bush administration record on immigration enforcement, but was repeatedly pressured by Kobylt to justify the canceling of the sweeps.
In early June, the Temecula Border Patrol station formed a special Mobile Patrol Group that conducted a series of illegal-alien sweeps in Norco, Corona and Escondido, Calif. The12-man group made more than 450 arrests as a result of the roundups.
Ron Zermeno, shop steward for the National Border Patrol Council at the Temecula station was frustrated with the decision to stop the sweeps.
"We don't know which way to turn. For once we were doing our job, what the government pays us to do," he told the North County Times.
After the roundups occurred, Latino activists protested at Border Patrol stations demanding an end to the sweeps.
Late last month, Hutchinson told members of Congress the raids were executed without the approval of higher-ranking officials, according to the Times report. While the sweeps were not illegal, they violated policy and the chain of command, Hutchinson said at the time.
In the radio interview, which lasted 22 minutes without any commercial breaks, Kobylt repeatedly confronted Hutchinson about when sweeps of illegal aliens would begin again.
While Hutchinson did not directly confirm that the sweeps had been stopped, he repeatedly stressed that future operations would have to be "coordinated" with other agencies. He told Kobylt while the priority of the Border Patrol is stopping the flow of aliens at the border, he also supports "interior enforcement" of immigration laws.
"Those 12 guys in Temecula rounded up 400 people in three days," Kobylt said. "Why not let them do what they're doing? They don't need to coordinate with anybody.
"They were doing fine, and the American taxpayers here in Southern California were thrilled beyond belief."
While Hutchinson argued the priority should be placing personnel at the border, Kobylt countered that California has 2 million illegal aliens who he says are a drain on the taxpayers of the state.
"It's $5 billion in tax money going down the hole every year to support these people," he told Hutchinson. "Why aren't you doing your job? Why do we still have tens of thousands of illegal aliens piling over the border every year?"
Kobylt charged Hutchinson with not neglecting the task of interior enforcement, pointing out the California roundups were big news stories because such action had not been taken "for years."
"When are the [round ups] going to start up again?" Kobylt asked Hutchinson.
"I'm not going to announce that on the radio," responded the official, who appeared riled by Kobylt's direct and persistent questioning. "You can expect interior enforcement actions in the future."
Kobylt accused Hutchinson of bowing to political pressure from immigrant-rights groups. He slammed the official for not confirming that the roundups would continue.
Said Kobylt after one of Huthinson's responses: "That's gobbledy-gook."
The host continued to pound on the roundup issue, but did not get the "yes or no" answer he was looking for.
"Yes or no, are you going to restart the border sweeps?" Kobylt pressed.
Responded Hutchinson: "We're going to continue the enforcement operations. They'll be coordinated between the Border Patrol and the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents. And that's the commitment that we make."
The talk-show host also pressed Hutchinson on the lack of enforcement action against employers in Southern California who hire illegal aliens.
"We have never seen a single company executive indicted for employing illegal aliens in this state," Kobylt said, who told Hutchinson he was "tap dancing" around his pointed questions.
"We have an enormous illegal-alien problem here in Southern California, and we are getting zero help from the federal government," Kobylt said.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a long-time advocate of tough immigration enforcement talked to Kobylt and co-host Ken Chiampou yesterday about the interview.
Kobylt encouraged Tancredo to read part of the interview on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"Well, that's an idea," Tancredo said. "I will talk about this on the House floor and I will try to figure out a way to interweave that."
Said Kobylt: "We don't want this Hutchinson thing to die. …
"I don't care if [Hutchinson's] a nice guy or not. I don't care if he gives mouth-to-mouth to dying dogs. It doesn't matter to me. Is he going to do the job on something that is extremely important that three-quarters of the state wants enforced?"
Zermeno said the halt in sweeps stems from pressure from Latino-rights activists and others.
"It's a few activists that are screaming for us to stop doing our job, and they are the ones getting Hutchinson's ear. It's very frustrating," Zermeno told the Times.
The KFI talkers have urged listeners to contact Hutchinson's office about the issue. The following message appears on the show's website:
Trey Bohn is the director of Radio, Office of Media Affairs, for the White House, and he wants you to stop e-mailing Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Trey wants you to use a generic e-mail address, where you letters may or may not be seen. If you get a chance, why not give Trey a call and remind him who pays his salary. Call Trey at (202) 456-3851. Joseph Farah, WND editor and host of radio program "WorldNetDaily RadioActive," will play the interview on his show today. The program runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
One of the things that really 'tore it' for me were the 'Freedom Tour' bus caravans full of illegal alien leeches that Bush allowed to run all over the country.
That was an 'in your face' to the U.S. Taxpayers and Bush just forced us to 'grin and bear it'.
Tell Karl you are in charge and if does not like it don't let the door hit him . . . or better yet let him know there is a Carlos waiting in the wings to do the job if he doesn't want to :-) (okay too much fun)
Not according to our firends in the press. Why don't you focus your disagreement towards Joe Baca(D-CA) instead of Asa Hutchinson, after all it is Joe Baca(D-CA) who started this fuss in the first place.
Oh yeah that's right you think that Joe Baca(D-CA) is on the President's super secret buildaburger payroll, nevermind as you wrap yourself in tin foil.
| Why won't the Bush administration give us a strong manager from a BORDER STATE that actually understands the issue instead of a clown operating on theory? Because George W. Bush, much as I like him, has always been soft on illegal immigration.
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Because Joe Blow-Baca is NOT in the Bush Administration...nor does he set enforcement policy, NOR does he have ANY influence beyond publicity!
It DOES seem that he has influence over you..so why doin't YOU carry your crusade to him, and let the rest of us adults take on the REAL problem...the squishy-soft pro-ILLEGAL attitude that those (R)'s we elected have...y'know...the ones supposedly "IN CONTROL" of the issue?
You might like life better if you took off the "Bush Blinders, MK-I" and looked at what is REALLY happening...but that would involve you having to think for yourself, and BushBot Group-think is sooooo much easier...right?
And yet he is an elected Congressman from California.
Did you all watch a videotape of "the katie couric video course on how to deflect facts" or something similar this morning.
Bus isn't trying to do anything other than legalize these scumbags.
He thinks they should be allowed to stay.
So saying what is he going to do over kerry is worthless since on this issue they have the same agenda.
The problem for Bush is that kerry has come out against drivers licenses and he has not. Stupid.
If Bush wins in november, then they might be allowed to do their job once again, but don't count on them being allowed to do much between now and then.
Yeah, it sucks and goes against what many conservatives/Republicans believe, but if Bush wants to win, sacrifices have to be made.
That's exactly what I plan to do!
Sometime in the future you are going to hear the name, AU. Guess what it will stand for? American Union. There will be a RU - Russian Union. And there will be a CU - China Union. All will happily join together with the EU - European Union, in order to bring much horror upon the average citizens of these countries. However, the politicians will be happy.
gee Dane...the WH was on tape telling KFI to drop the story.
BTTT. That plan would take many off the welfare rolls! Of course there would be those who would scream about it...
Humm, that actually sounds like a good and positive idea.
There is the school of thought that it would be better to let Kerry in and then oppose him than it is to allow Bush and his liberalizm stay in charge and push policies like this amnesty through. I don't really agree with that. But the only way I would EVER support any amnesty would be if we shut down that border and kept it closed for a couple of years before we even discussed granting anybody anything.
If Bush is successfully painted by the rats as being weak on jobs, and if he is voted out because of that, it is nobody's fault but his own because the illegal mexican workers are destroying the construction and heavy equipment industry as a career for American men (people). It is NOT just jobs that Americans don't want.
Whatever it is, IT'S NOT BUSH'S FAULT.
AGREE 100%.
And they(John and Ken) have Feinstein/Boxer/Baca on tape on their show also about this issue. LOL!
Sorry Karl, ain't buying the bridge you are trying to sell.
Don't worry, if W hasn't snatched defeat from the jaws of victory YET, there will be plenty more opportunities. What a telling and damning piece of evidence. I'm sure Vicente Fox is THRILLED! He's been building massive CONSULATES all OVER the united states of America - TO HANDLE ALL THE MEXICAN NATIONALS ILLEGALLY TAKING OVER THE COUNTRY!
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