Posted on 08/15/2005 6:17:17 PM PDT by Graybeard58
PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano may declare border counties a disaster area, following the lead of her New Mexico counterpart.
Napolitano press aide Jeanine L'Ecuyer said Monday the governor's staff is exploring whether an emergency could be declared based not on a natural disaster but because of the problems of crime, human smuggling and property destruction caused by people crossing the international border.
L'Ecuyer said the basic question involves reviewing the legal grounds for making such a declaration. State law permits the governor to declare an emergency in various instances, including cases of "invasions, hostile attacks, riots or insurrections.''
On Friday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson used similar authorization to declare a disaster in four border counties. That move freed up $750,000 from that state's emergency fund to help pay overtime for state police and sheriff's deputies, with Richardson also promising to provide another $1 million in discretionary dollars.
Cam Hunter, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, said this state has $4 million in the fund.
L'Ecuyer said there are a variety of differences between Arizona and New Mexico that might make a disaster declaration here inappropriate. She also said part of the question is whether such a declaration by Napolitano would free up any federal funds.
Pahl Shipley, press aide to Richardson, said his boss is hoping for some federal aid. But Tim Manning, that state's Mexico's homeland security chief, said that would require the state to meet some very specific requirements in federal law.
"It essentially comes down to all available resources at the local and state level have been used,'' he said. Manning said there also is a formula to determine the relative burden of an emergency on the state, computed on a per capita basis.
But Shipley said there also is a political component behind the governor's declaration.
"He is frustrating by the inaction on the federal level and felt like he needed to take action to protect New Mexicans and their property,'' Shipley said. He said Richardson wanted to "send a clear message the governor thought it was an urgent situation.''
The move has had at least some impact: U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said Richardson's declaration is more evidence that Congress needs to act soon to enact a comprehensive temporary worker program along with increased sanctions against employers who hired undocumented workers.
"As Arizonans well know, the federal government's inability to control the border has been a crisis for some time,'' Flake said in a prepared statement. "We cannot afford to wait any longer.''
Flake is a co-sponsor of legislation being pushed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to set up a new temporary worker program for jobs that require few or no skills. It also seeks unspecified increases in funding for border security.
Manning acknowledged there always has been crime along the border, it appears to have become more frequent - and more violent recently. He said some of that may be due to increased Border Patrol activity in Arizona which is moving some of the problem to the east.
"It's about criminal activity and it's about potential terrorism,'' Manning said. "Our concern right now is for the people down there.''
Instead, Mrs. Clinton pandered to the liberal crowd and received a standing ovation when she announced a new bill that would guarantee in-state college tuition rates for the children of illegal immigrants as well as amnesty to some 65,000 illegal immigrant students who graduate from U.S. high schools each year. Patti Solis Doyle, Mrs. Clinton's chief political strategist and a Mexican-American, told Democratic friends that the speech was a smashing success.
"Hillary won 85% of the Hispanic vote in New York for Senate in 2000," says her former adviser turned adversary Dick Morris. "She thinks she can outbid the Republicans for Hispanic votes in 2008 while bringing Reagan Democrats home with vague rhetoric about getting tough and employer sanctions she has no intention of implementing."
In New Mexico, Gov. Richardson has done much the same thing. He now blasts the federal government for not showing "the commitment or the leadership to deal with border issues." He is demanding that officials on the Mexican side bulldoze an abandoned town on the border that serves "as a staging area for illegal drugs and illegal aliens." But Mr. Richardson sang a different tune in late 2003, when he showed up at a rally for the "Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride" and told them, "¡Viva la raza! . . . Thank you for coming to Santa Fe. Know that New Mexico is your home. We will protect you. You have rights here." Jaime Becerril, one of the organizers of the freedom ride, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the participants favored a new amnesty program. He called immigration "a byproduct of colonialism and capitalism."
Further evidence of the governor's zigzag policy on immigration came in April when he vetoed a "No Fear" bill, which would have prohibited state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal authorities to detect or apprehend people based solely on immigration status. But then he quietly issued an executive order that had much the same effect. Earlier this year, he also signed legislation giving some illegal aliens the right to in-state tuition rates at public universities.
"The governor is all puff and no cigar," says David Pfeffer, a Santa Fe city councilman who abandoned the Democratic Party this past March when he concluded its members "were closer to Michael Moore than to me." He expects the governor "to run for national office while saying one thing while he does something else back home."
Like to perpetuate the big lie?
How come you have no support or mention of the Kyl/Cornyn bill?
See reply #21 and stop perpetuating the big hillary/richardson/napolitano lie.
I have been saying for years that if you get the dems talking tough on border issues the repubs are going to be in trouble...but nooooo, ya get the profits-before-security conservatives sounding like Office Bar Brady in South Park..."Move along, nothing to see here"
Rape, murder, assualts, kidnapping, drug and gun smuggling going on and we're supposed to sit quietly waiting for the GOP to write some more do nothing legislation.
I don't trust the democrats but at least they're talking about it. It's going to take solid and long lasting actions to convince me. Now it's the GOPs move and I'm not looking for promises.
The dem governor of arizona vetoed many bills that would have made it harder on illegals.
She is a fraud.
"Republicans won't do anything, Why?"
um, P-R-O-F-I-T-S.
Does this mean the National Gaurd would be deployed?
Almost all the dems senators in the u.s senate voted against more border troops, voted against more detainee beds.
All the dem senators voted for amnesty for illegal farm workers in the ag bill.
Dems are for using our tax dollars to pay for illegals getting into colleges.
Dems are for affirmative action for illegals.
Dem enviornmentalists are blocking the wall on the border.
That rat governor of arizona veteod a voter inititive for voter id at the ballot box because it would be discriminatory. This was passed by the voters so illegals would have a harder time.
Howard Dean the chairman of the dem party rails against Tom Tancredo saying he is anti immigrant.
Howard Dean the chairman of the dem party says gop will immigrants as scapegoats next election same way they did for blacks.
Howard Dean bashed Arnold for supporting the Minutemen.
The new mayor of L.A real tough on illegals.
We all know there are many rino's that are weak on illegals but please please don't give the dems credit when they are a joke on illegals.
Dems won't use this and can't use this issue in the next election because they are worse than the gop on this issue.
Dems can't run away from their voting records.
If the dems had congress in control all illegals would have permanent amnesty look at how dems voted for amnesty in the ag bill.
Howard Dean is out there saying Gop is going to bash immigrants same way gop bashed gays last election.
There is not one dem in the senate or congress that is tough on illegals.
A dem congressman from california is blocking duncan hunter from extending a fence and fortifying a fence on the whole california border.
Look at the votes in the senate on more border agents and more detainee beds. 95 percent of dems voted against more agents and detainee beds. Except for the rino's all republicans voted for more border agents.
You pretty much said it all.
Don't trust Napolitano. She has been dismantling Prop 200 for the past ten months. She will not give up those illegal votes when she runs for reelection in 2006.
johnmecainrino: I am not giving the Democrats credit, I am merely stating what the PERCEPTION will be to the common American voter (with the aid of the MSM).
You're assuming that we'll accept promises. I know I won't accept promises from either side. I want to see action.
Nah, she's just mad that Richardson thought of it and got his mug on the news instead of her. "Me too! Me too!"
Dubya's a fool for handing this issue to the Democrats.
They cause the problem, then campaign on curing the problem. However, the Republicans don't have a leg to stand on given their inaction.
Damn right.
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