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Spokesman for President Bush Posts on Free Republic About Immigration Bill
Thursday, June 14, 2007 | Kristinn

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


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; amnesty; amnestytroll; backstabbers; beggingforamnesty; betrayed; blowbackfordubya; deafrino; deathofthegop; duncanhunter; formerrepublican; illegalinvasion; illegals; imigrantlist; immigrantlist; immigration; jorgearbusto; jorgeisscaringme; josephabanks; nicholasthompson; nickthompson; noamnestyforillegals; noshamnesty; nthompsonwontbeback; osi; sellouts; shamnesty; somuchforthebase; spammingforshamnesty; tancredo; theythinkwearesaps; thompson; tomtancredo; traitors; vampirebill; welcomedulurkers; whitehouse; whosi; wontgetfooledagain; wrongthompson
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To: michigander

Yeah, several hours now, and the guy still has only that one In Forum post in his profile.

So much for engagement. I guess that was just the latest lie from the White House.


321 posted on 06/14/2007 12:34:16 PM PDT by kevao
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To: jdm; nthompsonwhitehouse

Thanks for the ping, jdm.

Nick, if GWB thinks this is going to change our minds, he’s definitely lost touch with his base.

Tell him to sign up anonymously at FR and post what he really thinks — that should open his eyes. Whatever his strategy is, it’s wrecking the GOP.


322 posted on 06/14/2007 12:34:24 PM PDT by Kevmo (We need to get away from the Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party ~Duncan Hunter)
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Comment #323 Removed by Moderator

To: wardaddy

They already have plenty of freepers carrying their water. This direct attempt to influence us is, I think, just short of desperate and more than a day late - a dollar short.


324 posted on 06/14/2007 12:36:13 PM PDT by wtc911 ("How you gonna get back down that hill?")
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To: michigander
Unless “engage the blogosphere” translates to one reply on one thread.

I'm sure they'll have a press release in a day or two saying how they now understand how "emotional" this issue is on blog sites, but they realize that they have made some progress in reassuring people just how dedicated President Bush is to "securing our borders."
325 posted on 06/14/2007 12:36:32 PM PDT by ruination
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To: Tijeras_Slim

Amen, brother!


326 posted on 06/14/2007 12:36:39 PM PDT by SIDENET ("Baby steps to the elevator...")
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To: xsmommy

Heh heh heh. I hope you are wearing the Devil’s Panties today!


327 posted on 06/14/2007 12:36:51 PM PDT by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: kristinn

All the people of the world are served better by a strongly capitalist USA. Healthy capitalism depends on the rule of law and the notion that ‘cheaters do not prosper.’ Law abiding employers should not be forced to unfairly compete with those who violate the law. Any remedy should include a cease and desist, not a pass to continue benefiting from one’s illegal entry or illegal hiring practices.

Everyone should be expected to follow the law. There is no room for the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations.’ I’m not unsympathetic to the plight of many who come here illegally. I’ve known people here illegally from every continent but Antarctica, however I would still support the deportation of my clone were he here illegally.*

*Hypothetical - to my knowledge no such clone exists.


328 posted on 06/14/2007 12:37:37 PM PDT by DancesWithBolsheviks (Demands, marches and media sob stories diminish my compassion.)
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To: TexasCajun
If the bill passes, there will be no Illegal Immigrants for companies to hire? right?

Which proves there is NO intention to secure the border. They're counting on more aliens coming in. Someone has to do that cheap labor and the legal ones won't.

329 posted on 06/14/2007 12:37:48 PM PDT by AuntB (" It takes more than walking across the border to be an American." Duncan Hunter)
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To: petitfour
If you come here and become an American,
you are an IMMIGRANT.

If you come her and demand that America CHANGE,
you are an INVADER.


330 posted on 06/14/2007 12:38:36 PM PDT by bannie
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To: Kevmo
Tell him to sign up anonymously at FR and post what he really thinks

I invite him over here and you want to go and get him banned?:')

331 posted on 06/14/2007 12:38:47 PM PDT by CindyDawg
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To: doug from upland
"Until the President has proven he has taken his oath of office seriously in this matter, go pound sand."

Exactly. Don't come telling us how much enforcement we'll get in the future until you have some credibility on this issue.

Which will be after the entire 700 mile fence is completely built, for starters.

332 posted on 06/14/2007 12:38:52 PM PDT by teawithmisswilliams (Basta, already!)
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To: kristinn

FOOL ME ONCE,SHAME ON YOU!
FOOL ME TWICE,SHAME ON ME!


333 posted on 06/14/2007 12:39:23 PM PDT by TShaunK
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To: CindyDawg

Good point. I guess that really WOULD be eye opening for him, wouldn’t it?


334 posted on 06/14/2007 12:39:39 PM PDT by Kevmo (We need to get away from the Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party ~Duncan Hunter)
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To: JerseyHighlander
But now all of a sudden the Federal government is promising to turn around Z visas in less than 24 hours.

Hell, the Feds are talking about suspending border passport rules (as long as you have a piece of paper saying you are getting a passport) because they're so backlogged and we're supposed to be stupid enough to believe their hogwash on the z visas. pfft!

335 posted on 06/14/2007 12:40:02 PM PDT by processing please hold (Duncan Hunter '08) (ROP and Open Borders-a terrorist marriage and hell's coming with them)
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To: F15Eagle; AuntB
BTW, that Portland warehouse had hundreds of US CITIZENS lined up this morning to take those jobs!

Just as I suspected. Americans wanting to do the jobs they say Americans don't want to do. Thanks for the update!

Our patriotic unionist friends are right: this is about bringing down wages (in addition to erosions the authority of citizenship and of national as well as popular sovereignty.)

Early on in Pres. Bush's 2000 campaign, I was a part of a meeting his campaign held with grass-roots leaders in Illinois, seeking our support.

There I told them that our support is not unconditional, but that we required thorough support in return, for:

1. the Right to Life

2. our Individual, Family, and National Sovereignty.

One out of two is not nearly good enough. Have we been betrayed?
We're on the brink.

336 posted on 06/14/2007 12:40:43 PM PDT by unspun (What do you think? Please think, before you answer.)
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To: F15Eagle

Eagle, we need Duncan Hunter in more ways than can be counted. Instead, the media and the RNC prefer to ignore him. Perhaps we can elevate his fence and him, without them!!


337 posted on 06/14/2007 12:41:04 PM PDT by gidget7 (2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:)
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To: kristinn
We already have laws, so please enforce them. No amnesty, no rewards for those who break our laws. Just deport them and build a wall.

Also, I am concerned as to the types of legal immigrants. They are too often anti Semitic and anti US and come from countries hostile to us. You only need to look at the vicious crimes and terrorists acts perpetrated by legal immigrants. Please have more strict screening.

338 posted on 06/14/2007 12:41:06 PM PDT by Jane Austen
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To: michigander

Mr. Thompson is posting on various conservative blogs including NRO’s The Corner, and Red State, in addition to dropping his post in here. I seriously doubt he will be back to read these comments, which is quite sad.

}:-)4


339 posted on 06/14/2007 12:41:07 PM PDT by Moose4 (Effing the ineffable since 1966.)
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To: All

I’m nearly laughing.

With all the issues regarding this bill he could have responded to, he chooses to tell us how the administration is going to go lightly on employers who are ‘trying.’

That’s funny.


340 posted on 06/14/2007 12:41:14 PM PDT by Madeleine Ward
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