Posted on 06/14/2007 11:16:52 AM PDT by kristinn
A spokeman for the Bush administration sent an e-mail to Jim Robinson and myself confirming the authenticity of a post on Free Republic this afternoon regarding the immigration bill currently before the Senate as having been posted on behalf of the White House.
The spokesman, Nicholas Thompson, works for the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. The Politico reported yesterday that Thompson and Kerrie Rushton, associate directors in the Office of Strategic Initiatives who work under Karl Rove, would be engaging the blogosphere on the immigration bill.
Thompson's post is on the thread titled Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill, a vanity posted by philman_36. Thompson posted at comment #53.
Thompson's e-mail to Free Republic included a brief introduction and the text of his posted comment:
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I just posted a response to the post "Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill."
The White House appreciates the opportunity to respond on Free Republic.
Response:
I would like to point out that the Secretary is authorized to reduce or mitigate penalities against employers who in good faith are trying to comply with the law. Certainly, we understand that not all employers knowingly hire illegal immigrants; this will remain the case, especially before the bill’s new secure documentation requirements are fully phased in. We do not seek to wrongly penalize honest employers who unknowingly hire illegal immigrants, therefore we reserve the right to reduce or mitigate their penalties if the employer can show good faith compliance in following the law.
For those employers who do knowingly hire illegal immigrants, please know that we intend to penalize these employers strongly, and the Administration has already stepped up these penalties in the last couple of years. For example, a 2005 program, “Operation Rollback,” assessed $15,000,000 in civil fines to employers, an amount greater than the sum of administrative fines collected in the previous eight years and was the largest worksite enforcement penalty in US history. In the first quarter of FY07, criminal and civil forfeitures have totaled $26,700,000 for employers.
As a reminder of what’s in the bill, fines for hiring an illegal worker are $5,000 maximum per illegal worker for the first offense, $10,000 maximum per illegal worker for the second, $25,000 maximum per illegal worker for the third , and $75,000 maximum per illegal worker for the fourth. In addition, the bill increases the maximum criminal penalty for a pattern or practice of unlawful hiring twenty-five-fold, from $3,000 to $75,000, and would impose a prison term of up to six months. This represents a significant increase in fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Nicholas Thompson
White House Office of Strategic Initiatives
That is so neat! (Although I don’t remember much - that was the year I was born.)
;)
I’m especially glad to be back when the fight is so damn critical. This is literally a fight for our republic.
I have no idear what W's problem is. I think he is tryin to reach out to us with alligator arms. Amazes me.
He needs to fund and enforce the laws we have now.
Read Post 1230 for a possibility of what is going on.
Explains a lot of his fire in the belly on this thing. Maybe the poster has hit the nail on the head.
That’s a keeper!
She did not look happy having to accompany the President as the ranking TX Senator because of protocol. She looked extremely unhappy when he was speaking at the podium.
Let us know if she sends something out.
I dunno. You make the call.
Select from the list below to view the “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” FOIA Documents
Section I - SPP Contact Lists and Organization Charts
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecI.pdf
Section II - SPP Regulatory Cooperation Symposium
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecII.pdf
Section III - SPP Meeting with Commerce Secretary Gutierrez, March 15, 2006.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecIII.pdf
Section IV - Launch of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), May 26, 2006.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecIV.pdf
Section V - Final Recommendations of the U.S. Section of the NACC.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecV.pdf
Section VI - Launch of the NACC with SPP Ministers, June 15, 2006.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecVI.pdf
Section VII - NACC Documents
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecVII.pdf
Section VIII - Prof. Robert A. Pastor’s Seminar on Building a North American Community, September 21, 2005.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/SPPFOIADocsSecVIII.pdf
Cheap labor. Mo' profit.
We fought a war over free labor then and we're doing again, except now the South is battling the elitist north against NOT having all this (relatively) free labor.
Unless, of course, some awful asteroid is coming sooner than we thought and we're gonna have to eat all our Mexicans. :)
I couldn't agree more and my opinion of her went up a lot.
I think both of ours are getting leaned on quiet heavily on the hill and by big business.
I’ve seen it. I already told you that. It’s a theory.
Get a grip.
We are to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are Gods.
This land does not belong to Caesar. This country has been given to each and everyone of us by God and it is our solemn duty to be good stewards of what God has given us.
We cannot surrender our sovereignty for the sake of political expediency. This land belongs to the American people. We are the trustees of this land for God. It is our duty to ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity and not to surrender this country to those who would undermine its values and who scoff at our patriotism and our laws.
All the elitists of the east political groups, the media, etc.
After six weeks at the naval air station at Gitmo we went back aboard the USS Kitty Hawk CVA-63 and continued are trip around South America to San Diego!!!!!.....
Good one! Thanks for the ping!
This has been lurking in the back of my mind also. I don’t want to believe it of President Bush. I voted for him twice. I admire him as a Christian who is unapologetic for his faith. I’ve supported him in quite a few areas excepting this “immigration” issue and Harriet Miers. I feel betrayed. I feel he is betraying America and the folks who voted for him. What could be more basic than protecting and defending our country from enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC??!!
Think tanks...agreements...no treaties. But worth reading and thinking about. Our answer to the EU?
Just state them clearly with our ideas without the hateful rantings and namecalling and trying to get in another jab at the White House.
Look at Post 1230 as an example of an effective post that will be noticed and given credibility. Of course, I would not be able to do one like that but it is a good one.
He presents his views backs up his reasonings and makes you see the validity of his ideas. Very well presented and it sure grabbed my attention. Hopefully the people involved in the immigration solutions will see it.
I tend to get angry, when my country is being sold out by those who swore a solemn oath to defend it from invasion.That is exactly most Freepers feel . . . Great cartoon!
*BUMP* !
Very funny - is that a Freeper?
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