Posted on 10/25/2007 9:12:42 AM PDT by AuntB
CONWAY - The Hispanic community has a "disconnect" with non-Hispanics on the issue of illegal immigration, Gov. Mike Beebe told a group of University of Central Arkansas students Wednesday.
Beebe was fielding students' questions in a public forum on the UCA campus when a student mentioned legislation in Congress that would put children of illegal immigrants on a path toward citizenship, as long as they came to the U.S. with their families before turning 16 and they plan to attend college or join the military.
The measure failed a test vote in Wednesday in the U.S. Senate.
The student, Manny Sepulveda, asked what Beebe is doing for students in Arkansas who want to attend college but may not be in the country legally.
"What are we doing on the state level? Absolutely nothing, because it would violate federal law, or at least it would open the state up to paying moneys that we could never afford with regard to illegal immigrants," Beebe said.
The governor, who took office this year, said when he was serving as state attorney general in 2005 he had to tell the Legislature there were problems with proposed legislation to provide college scholarships and in-state tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants.
"The problem is, there was and still is a federal statute that says if you do that - it doesn't say you can't do that - it says if you do that, then you have to provide that same opportunity for every American citizen," Beebe said.
The legislation, supported by Beebe's predecessor, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, passed the House but fell just short of approval in the Senate.
Beebe said Wednesday said he did not want to paint all Hispanics with one brush, but added, "one of the things that the Hispanic community has in effect a disconnect with, with the non-Hispanic community, is the whole issue of 'illegal.'"
"If it is illegal, it means it's illegal," the governor said.
He said the federal government's failure to enforce immigration laws has resulted in about 11 million people being in the country illegally. He said he took an oath as governor to uphold the constitution and the laws, "and that will guide me."
Sepulveda, an officer of the Latinos United organization at UCA, said later he was "totally disappointed" with Beebe's answer.
"He ducked the question of what can be done. (He said) what he won't do, instead of saying, 'I can't do this because of my belief, but this is what I can do,'" he said.
Beebe "doesn't (care) about Latinos in this state," Sepulveda said.
Beebe has spoken out on illegal immigration several times in the last few months. In September, Beebe said he had asked the state police to pursue an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would allow state troopers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants.
In August, Beebe praised a legislative committee for taking up the issue of illegal immigration in an interim study and indicated he might be in favor of state legislation to address the problem.
"I think it's healthy for us to be discussing this and I think it's healthy for the committee to be providing the information, and I think it will provide a road map for what, if any, legislative changes need to be brought forth," Beebe said then.
This is just one reason why Arkansas is glad to be rid of Huckabee.
Good man
In other words, I don't like your response, therefore you don't care about my people. Mentality of a child.
And Sepulveda doesn't care about the rule of law. Nor does he have any idea why it is so important to our country. See my tagline.
Huckabee ping!
I think you’ve just insulted the majority of children out there.
Mrs ladtx and her side of the family is of hispanic descent. Her family was living in New Mexico when it was still under the control of the Spanish. Every member of her family is outraged at the flood of illegals coming into this country. I suspect the majority of the families with similar backgrounds (families going back generations) feel the same. It seems to me most of the hispanics willing to give the illegals a break do not have similar backgrounds, with families who have not been here but a generation or two and are much more lenient when it comes to immigration.
Being Hispanic, I get caught up in discussions with other of my fellow Hispanics here in the state about illegals and what should be done. They are aghast that I am for a plan similar to what Fred announced.
The question most asked is...."Don't you have any loyalty to your race?"
My answer......"My 'race' is Hispanic, but I am an American Patriot before that."
They don't like me being conservative either.
Sepulveda still doesn’t get it. It isn’t about Beebe’s “belief” but the law. Implied is that Sepulveda wants Beebe to circumvent the law, thereby breaking his oath of office.
Well the words 'deport them' comes to mind. What unmittigated gaul! Imagine going to another nation in violation of their laws, then demanding they give you handouts.
I would tend to agree with you.
Well the words 'deport them' comes to mind. What unmittigated gaul! Imagine going to another nation in violation of their laws, then demanding they give you handouts.
The term 'Ugly American' has been around for a long time. I think it's time we admit there can also be 'Ugly Mexicans', and this person is a great example.
See my post #7. I’ve been doing a lot of genealogy research on my wife’s side, very interesting. She is from Clayton but many of her ancestors lived in the north central part of the state. Mora, Las Vegas, Taos, Chimayo.
I agree. The only citizen hispanics I've found that were for this silly amnesty stuff, are the previous amnesty winners who were illegal, anchor babies or they are involved in the human smuggling game or involved with the various 'laRaza' special interest groups.
I think everybody on the thread gets it...when Huckster says he is against illegal immigration he is full of crap.
Good folks up there, but nobody you’d want to mess with. :)
I understand, pistolshot. I've long said the ones that suffer the most for these unenforced laws are just like you. I have a friend who is of Mexican decent. She's never even been to Mexico, but the pressure from the new 'immigrants' is enormous. She gets marked because she speaks English.
Not that it makes much difference, but what party does Beebe hail from?
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