AG Nominee Gonzales on Illegal Immigration (Confirmation Hearing Excerpts)

New York Times ^ | 01-06-2005 | Federal News Service

[NewRomeTacitus]

Sen. Spector (in opening statements): "The department will have a major role in implementing President Bush's proposals to revise our nation's immigration laws and to deal with the 10 million aliens who are in this country illegally."

"The attorney general has exercised the authority to overrule conclusions by the immigration judge and a board of immigration appeals. And this is an issue that lingers after considerable questioning of Attorney General Ashcroft as to what standards ought to be used. And the attorney general, John Ashcroft, conceded before this committee that it's not sufficient to simply cite national security. And that will be a question which we will want to inquire into."

(Way later after Sen. Leahy dredged up the torture allegations every chance possible.)

Sen. Kennedy: "One is the -- which we talked about -- the state and local law enforcement of immigration laws. You’re familiar with this. In 2002 the Department of Justice reversed long-standing policies -- supported the inherent authority of states to enforce federal immigration laws, and this -- that reversal was based on an Office of Legal Counsel opinion that’s not been made public. And I’ve asked for a copy of the opinions; so have others of the Congress; interested parties have asked for it too. The refusal to -- it’s been the subject of a lawsuit. The department’s response failed to provide the opinion but simply offered its conclusion without any discussion.

I have difficulty finding a good reason why the department continues to keep the opinion and its legal analysis secret, especially since it reverses a long-standing policy that scores of police chiefs, police departments around the country, including many in your home state of Texas, have denounced the idea of involving state and local police in federal immigration enforcement. Last month the International Association of Chiefs of Police issued a report expressing concern. They and others believe it will destroy the remarkable progress they’ve made with community policing in which police have worked closely with the public, including immigrant communities, and developed productive bonds of trust -- concerns raised by law enforcement shared by many conservative and security experts. I can’t believe I’m quoting Grover Norquist -- Bob Barr, the Heritage Foundation all say this could be an unmanageable burden on the law enforcement officials."

So could you tell us why -- quickly as you could -- the secrecy, and can you tell us whether you’d support them releasing the OLC opinion on the authority to --"

MR. GONZALES: "Senator, thank you for that question. You and I did talk about that in your office. This matter is in litigation, as you indicated; there is FOIA litigation about the release of the memo. The conclusions are known. It’s the analysis, the deliberations that went into the opinion that I think the department is seeking to protect.

Let me just emphasize, though, or try to provide reassurance about this.

There is no requirement, of course, upon state and locals to enforce federal immigration laws. This is purely voluntary. In fact, of course, some states have prohibitions; they couldn’t do it even if they wanted to. In some cases the department, as I understand it, has entered into with state or local departments, in terms of memorandums of understanding in order to enforce this. We’re certainly -- I certainly am sensitive to the notion that some local law enforcement people don’t want to exercise this authority. Well, we’re not saying that they have to. But if they want to and they can assist in fighting the war on terror, that’s what this opinion allows us to do.

Personally, I would worry about a policy that permits someone, a local law enforcement official, to use this authority somehow as a club to harass -- they might be undocumented aliens, but otherwise lawful citizens. That would be troubling. That would be troubling to the president who, as a governor of a -- former governor of a border state understands and appreciates the roles that immigrants and undocumented aliens play in our society.

But it is in litigation, and it would probably be better if I didn’t speak more about that."

[docbnj]

Apparently it is all right to be an illegal alien, as long as you are otherwise a "law-abiding citizen."

Maybe I could be a swindler, or a burglar, but otherwise a "law-abiding citizen." Why pick on me because of my one little illegality?

The argument seems to be that it is too much of a challenge and a bother for the police to have to enforce the laws, and they get along better with ethnic communities if they just leave them alone for some home-grown mafia to run.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

bayourod ducks and won't answer a post when he is a bald faced liar.

[junta]

I'm praying for Bush to slip and play the race card, but knowing that he can be disciplined at times it will probably be some of the OBL henchmen who slip that perjoritive into the debate.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Kennedy, Leahy, and Specter. I didn't even want to read this, but I did.

Gonzales is a disaster. Anyone who kisses Kennedy's rear end isn't fit to be elected dog catcher...

[montag813]

Ladies and gentlemen, your new top law enforcement officer of the United States. Johnny, I'm already missing you.

Yeah, and if you think Gonzales is going to fire those radical fag DoJ lawyers who perpetrated the "Philadelphia Four" you can forget it. We wouldn't want to jeopardize the crucial "Log Cabin" voting bloc (all 12 of them).

[janetgreen]

He's a one world socialist, born in a family that believes that, and was so raised!

This needs to be repeated because it's true! Why don't more people realize this?

[JustAnotherSavage]

FYI



Going Underground - Barron's
The shadow economy is about to top $1 trillion -- at a great cost to many

By JIM MCTAGUE

AMERICA HAS TWO ECONOMIES, and one is flourishing at the expense of the
other. First, there's the legitimate economy, in which craftsmen are
licensed and employers and employees pay taxes.

Then there's the fast-growing underground economy, where millions of nannies, construction workers and others are paid off-the-books, their incomes largely untaxed.
The best guess as to the size of the output of this shadow economy is about $970 billion, or nearly 9% that of the real economy. It should soon pass $1 trillion.

What is largely fueling the underground economy, experts say, is the
nation's swelling ranks of low-wage illegal immigrants. -snip-very long.


http://groups-beta.google.com/group/soc.culture.romanian/browse_thread/thread/1bb41897c2797fca/a037432e6e83160d?q=%22The+Underground+Labor+Force+Is+Rising+to+the+Surface%22&_done=/groups?q=%22The+Underground+Labor+Force+Is+Rising+to+the+Surface%22%252

[inquest]

"He's a one world socialist, born in a family that believes that, and was so raised! "

That tells us everything we need to know about you.

Namely, that he discerns reality far better than you do?

By the way, your "anecdote" has got to be one of the biggest fish stories I've heard in a long time. Tells us all that anyone needs to know about you.

[FITZ]

they might be undocumented aliens, but otherwise lawful citizens.

Amazing --- an AG who doesn't know what the definition of "citizen" is --- unles they've already redefined it to mean "world citizen" --- who are under the authority of "world government". This guy sounds like a very dangerous globalist.

[JustAnotherSavage]

FYI, in case you missed it.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316831/posts?q=1&&page=1

L.A. Mexican congressional office may not be legal
L.A. Daily News ^ | 1/7/04 | Rachel Uranga

Posted on 01/08/2005 1:08:02 PM PST

[bayourod]

You have called me a bald face liar. I don't appreciate that type of personal attack.

You made your accusation in response to my post #8.

What part of post #8 is a lie?

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Read my post #35 and either you or your friend is telling a bald faced lie!

[bayourod]

No. I said the incident happened on the plane returning from the Detroit convention. The Detroit convention was in 1980. That was where Reagan/Bush were first nominated.

You might have known Louis LeMont, he lived between Conroe and Huntsville.

[1_Inch_Group]

they might be undocumented aliens, but otherwise lawful citizens

Skuze me? He's gonna start this crap already... They're actually gonna do it....going to push us from dissent to outright rebellion.

[JustAnotherSavage]

The American public has been greatly "misunderestimated" if a few of these OBL's believe we will just shut up and let this invasion continue.

[FBD]

This bayourod "character" is a fraud, and as HuntsvilleTxVeteran says in #35; "a bald face liar"

Their is no way bayourods story is true, about his friend sitting next to George W Bush on an airplane, coming back from the 1980 Detroit Republican convention.

No anonymous person is going to get anywhere near George W. Bush, and start in on a tirade about the Bush family.
NO WAY!
In 1980, Goerge H. Bush 41 senior was a VP candidate.
Which means George W 43 had secret service protection.
Bayourods story is an outright lie.
His story (Post# 13) below:

---

"I had a friend who believed like you. We was obsessed with telling everyone he met about the Bushes being one world socialist traitors. People would hide when they saw him coming just to avoid his Trilateral Commission/CFR anti-Bush tirades.

On the plane back from the Detroit convention he started in on the passenger sitting next to him.

After about thirty minutes of listening to his crap, the man turned to him and said "Do you know who I am? I'm George W. Bush". George said every head on my friends head stood straight up, he turned to face forward and never said another word."

---

http://www.secretservice.gov/ud.shtml

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedures
Sec. 3056. Powers, authorities, and duties of United States Secret Service
(a) Under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, the United States Secret Service is authorized to protect the following persons:

...the Vice President and members of the immediate family; and... Major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates........
within 120 days of the general Presidential election, the spouses and families....

[JustAnotherSavage]

What?? Are you saying Bay hasn't had dinner with Kay Bailey and all those others he's mentioned before??

FROBL?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1314180/posts

[NewRomeTacitus]

And don't forget being a personal buddy of the late Lee Atwater (the man Karl Rove wishes he could aspire to).

I met Atwater, Bush Sr., Henry Kissinger and quite a few others while serving as head of security for Nashville's City Club during their Distinguished Lecture series. Mr. Atwater struck me as a man consumed by a mission to relegate liberals to the "dustbin of history", having known far too many wastrel idiots in his musician circle spouting nonsense. That such a driven and focused young man as he would voluntarily seek the advice we hear coming out of Rod is utterly laughable.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

Blech!

[FBD]

I be saying exactly that.

Between his having had hundreds of employees, owning restaurants, kibitzing with front page politicians, and what ever other exploits he's claimed to have done,
bayourod would have to be about 150 years old, by my calculations!

He also holds a very low opinion of blue collar jobs, and or what most minorities might aspire to be in life.
In bayourods own words:
See here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1301995/replies?c=67
“We see brown skinned men building our highways, repairing our autos, replacing our roofs, mowing our lawns, washing our cars, serving our dinners, collecting our trash,”

Here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1302385/replies?c=145

Here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1302385/replies?c=138

And here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1302385/replies?c=54