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
You may be right but only if we - as a country - continue to go through this quadrennial bloodletting we call an election. I’m not alone when I say that a real, honest to God revolution is waiting in the wings for its cue. A lot of people have claimed their own personal ‘line in the sand’ over which government steps at its own peril. A liberal government, content in the praise and adulation from the main stream media, would disbelieve all the lessons from history and make that fateful step. After that, all bets are off. I’m just sorry I’m so old I won’t be around to see it.
Do you honestly think that we can just "deport" them overnight? How about a week? Or even a year?
They can mostly deport themselves. Dry up the job opportunities and they will either go back or starve.
As I have said - no office of the President of the United States will bother with a site full of people only wanting the unique opportunity to get their licks in against the president.
Of course they have moved on to a site were intelligent people wanting to discuss views and ideas manage to do so in a professional manner.
We are merely cheap whiners. So go ahead trash him all you want - our opportunity was blown by those of you too ignorant to be able to act with a degree of respect for the office of the President of the United States.
Why should he waste time with those too dumb to even know how to discuss issues?
Ck it out.
There, that's now CORRECT.
"President Bush has done a lot of precious little good for this nation. He isn't perfect, no one is and doesn't even TRY to live up to the oath he swore when he was inaugurated - TWICE."
And now, so is this.
Yeah, we COULD elect a Republican President and we COULD fire the RINO congress but there’s only one Republican running for the office who would have the ‘stones’ to veto nearly everything congress sends him. And even if Dr. Paul were to win congress could easily override every veto he made.
So, whether we get Hilbama and a Dem congress or Paul and a Dem congress, we’re in for a helluva ride.
...and remove any penalties for American citizens. We want equal treatment before the law. No more penalties for cheating the IRS. No more higher tuition fees for out of state residents. No more need for ID. The word of a friend is now good enough for all federal business.
If it’s good enough for the Mexicans, it’s good enough for Americans.
Mr. Thompson - please let President Bush know and try and help him understand that his base - those of us who elected him to the ffice he now holds (twice) are 100% AGAINST any sort of amnesty for illegal immigrants!
What we want - what we DEMAND - is simple. Enforce the laws already "on the books". Enforce the border. Seal it up. (build the wall!) STOP illegal immigration as best as possible. After this - go ahead and try to come up with some sort of "solution" to the illegals already here. I say send them home and let them try to return LEGALLY as thousands have before them.
These people - no matter what their circumstances might be - must NOT be rewarded for breaking our immigration laws. It is a travesty to even consider it.
What will happen once these people attin legal status"? Do you and the Administration truly belive they will continue to do the "jobs Americans won't do"? Of course they will not. They will demand the same amount of pay that Americans demand for the same work and just like the Americans they will not be hired....leaving the employers to seek out new illegals to fill the empty spaces of those given amnesty.
I could go on and on about why this idea is so terrible but I will not. The only other thing I'll say is - NO to amnesty in any shape or form. (The RNC will not get a penny from me until it shapes up btw!)
We don't have to deport them all - all at once.
If we enforce existing laws, they will be forced to leave on their own.
You are right.
I will be looking for a place of doers - not complainers who just rant at a computer screen and blow away their prime opportunity to get heard with such language as “STFU”.
666 alert. (I have good insurance though)
Amen. They might learn something.
What we are putting up with is no different than a national disaster only this is every day."
~ <> ~
Fantastic post.
One of the few addressing it from first hand experience.
I wish everyone could SEE it here every day ~ young Hispanic children running and weaving into heavy traffic against the light, laughing and sneering.
Why should they obey the law? Their parents don't.
Who's to enforce it?
Oh really? I guess I was not watching the news when a Mexican blew himself up at a major landmark in New York City.
If this bill passes, this country will be balkanized. All of those other issues won't matter then.
We won't be balkanized in the way that Yugoslavia was. Already there are signs that most of Americans are starting to accept Mexican culture. But inevitably it will become part of the American Culture. (I'll bookmark this page and refer it to you in 20 years)
Does it bother you at all that the republican leadership is playing you for a fool?
Haha, Republicans played us all for fools. Let Hillary win in 2008, yeah that's the answer. Total domination by the Democrats.
/sacrasm
The Constitution stipulates that as executor, you are to see that the laws...ALL... the laws are “FAITHFULLY” executed.
To paraphrase what FAITHFULLY means, in modern legalese...it means...
WITH DUE DILIGENCE.
One of the laws you signed off on last fall was a law Duncan Hunter sponsored, calling for construction of almost 800 miles of fence.
Do you Mr President even KNOW how many miles have been built...do you CARE?
Didn't this factor into your ‘negotiations’ involving your DHS man Chertoff when he participated with Kennedy and others in crafting this bill...ostensibly as you say...to INCREASE border security?
Why hasn't the fence been built Mr President?
Why does your man Sec Chertoff give a cocky answer ...”why don't you ask your Congressman”
I'm asking YOU Mr President.
Duncan Hunter Today on Lou Dobbs:
“Border Security should not be conditioned on amnesty!”
We disagree on the potential candidate but we already have a RINO congress - what the harm?
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