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
BTW, it’s nice to see how generally civil and reasoned the posts are. How unlike DU, eh?
I love FR
What is the fiscal impact on local taxpayers the extended families of the current illegals which would be coming be? Have you folks in DC calculated the need for new schools, new jails, new prisons (6-7% of any population goes to prison), or the impact on our hospitals? We are being taxed to death for these things now, and the tax burden would increase dramatically if all these extended families were to come in...not to mention the impact on medicaid, food stamps and welfare rolls.
What are you going to do about the fraudent document situation? Have you eliminated the illegal convicted felons from the bill?
As a 2 times crime victim I want to know the answer.
BTW we see this amnesty as a REWARD for breaking our laws.
Crossposted from the original thread.
Mr. Thompson,
First of all, I hope you’re not going to get in trouble by FReeping at work. :)
Secondly...Tony Snow used President Reagan’s old line on Laura Ingraham this morning—”trust, but verify.” The fact is, sir, there is no way that the conservative base is going to accept this bill, because we don’t “trust” no matter how much we “verify.” We haven’t been given any reason to trust!
For six years, we haven’t seen much of anything that indicates that the Bush administration gives much of a priority to Mexican border security. A bill has been passed authorizing several hundred miles of new fence...how much has been built, sir? A few miles? Why? Why has this bill not been complied with? How many new Border Patrol agents have been hired? Why has the President not taken a harder line with President Fox (and now President Calderon) on controlling illegal immigration on HIS side of the border? What is the President planning to do about removing Federal funding from cities that refuse to cooperate with enforcement efforts against illegals?
Fact is, Mr. Thompson, poll after poll after poll is showing that the American people do not want pseudo-amnesty. We want border enforcement first, interior enforcement second, and only then, can we even think about guest worker programs or “Z-visas.” The Administration, and the Republican party, ignore this sentiment at their peril.
No comprehensive bill. Seal the border, remove the anchor baby provisions, and deport the illegals that won’t leave. Streamline the legal immigration process. THEN we can talk about letting them back in as guest workers. Not one second before.
Welcome to Free Republic.
}:-)4
The company does some of the hardest, dirtiest and most dangerous work in the construction industry of Central Florida.
The reason they like working for them, they do background checks on everybody. SSN, drugs, criminal records, traffic records and citizenship.
Over 60% of the job applicants do not pass and do not get hired.
Every time they advertise for workers, they have over 50 people show up for each job opening.
When she first started, over half the applicants could not pass the SSN and citizenship check. (This is done before drug and alcohol testing)
Pretty soon word got around the illegal community to not even bother applying. They have not had an applicant wash out on SSN and citizenship since.
>6) END THE ANCHOR BABY PROGRAM
How about rescind the anchor baby program!
...and end the free medical treatments. Why should I pay taxes for free medical care for illegal aliens?
I voted for you twice Pres. Bush.
Why do you not care?
And while the immigration bill may have much room for "work", it is not an occasion to bash the President.
We should be dignified and disagree with him respectfully.
President Bush has done a lot of good for this nation. He isn't perfect, no one is.
6) DO AWAY WITH ANCHOR BABIES
That’s an eye-opener.
A huge water pipe has burst in the White House. The plumbers should:
a. Get out the mops, buckets, and wet vacs
b. Turn the damned water off
Get it?
If a Social Security # is fake, the SS administration sends the employer a letter saying so.
Employers who are ‘duped’ by fake numbers, choose to do so.
If they can do this why not do it and forget amnesty? Who do they work for big business or US? WE KNOW THE ANSWER!
I disagree with ‘WhiteGuy’ — I am happy to help Iraqis start a new life and work towards a life of freedom, and their piece of the American Dream. At least the Iraqis come in ‘legally’, if awkwardly.
1. Build the fence
2. Do not deport all existing illegals. This is neither practical nor in the best interest of our country.
3. Fix the migration system to allow enough aliens to come here to work in a timely way, before you go around fining anyone.
4. Increase border patrol - we must know that we are preventing dangerous aliens from coming over.
5. Do not give voting rights/citizenship to anyone here illegally until they earn those rights.
We need immigrants for our economy. Those who want to deport 12 million people need to get an economics book. Besides, it’s not going to happen, so forget it.
Everyone should also be aware and prepared to start paying a lot more for goods and services if illegals are stopped. The immigration system needs to be fixed. This is very difficult, though. Hey, look how well the new accelerated passport system is going.
“I wonder how many more there are still working here under cover?”
I’m suspecting 2 at a minimum. They are always careful not to get fully engaged.
1. We said, "no."
2. We meant, "no."
3. "No" does not mean, "Try it again."
4. We hired you.
5. As your employer, we demand that you cease your deliberate intent to go against the decision of the vast majority of our CITIZENS.
Bump to post 190!
This really irritates me.
It costs less than .50 cents to verify a Social Security Number provided by any job applicant. It takes less than thirty seconds to do so via any of over 700 employment screening companies nationally.
This ‘we can’t hold employers responsible for hiring them unknowningly’ stuff is pure unadulterated horse hockey.
My company is one of those with the capability to do this, btw. I know what I’m talking about here.
And I strongly suspect the spokesperson’s for the administration know it as well.
You are so correct. My wife checked applicants via online services all the time. It ain’t that hard to do.
And I will say again to the Bush administration, demonstrate you are enforcing the law now and for a substantial period of time before coming back with your proposal.
Trust must be earned. You haven’t earned it.
Can we set up a thread that is entitled “FreeRepublic Petition to President Bush:Please Read and Sign” that would ask FReepers to sign on to F15Eagle’s 5 points prioritizing the way to go on immigration? And could you send it along to the WH contact behind this message?
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