Posted on 11/13/2009 9:03:25 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that providing some kind of legal citizenship pathway and status to illegal immigrants -- which critics say is amnesty -- is key to U.S. national security.
“We will never have fully effective law enforcement or national security as long as so many millions remain in the shadows,” Napolitano said in a speech Friday to the liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress.
Napolitano said the Obama administration favors immigration reforms that include pathways for the 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. to gain legal status. That includes paying back taxes and fines for entering the U.S. illegally and learning English. Critics of such plans say that will amount to amnesty for those who illegally entered the country.
Napolitano — who served as Arizona governor — said legalizing illegal immigrants will help cut into human smuggling and trafficking rings, organized crime that centers around the U.S.-Mexico border and help her agency go after those syndicates and businesses that illegally hire undocumented immigrants.
Napolitano acknowledged that immigration reforms and some kind of amnesty or legal path would benefit labor unions (a major Democratic Party constituency).
“As labor leaders have made clear to me, immigration reform will be a boon to American workers. Think about it: unions will never achieve the best terms for workers when a large part of the work force is illegal and operates in a shadow economy. By contrast, the status quo not only hurts American workers, it also stifles potential opportunities to grow our economy,” she said in the CAP speech.
The former Arizona governor also defended Obama administration economic policies, saying the Democratic president has reversed the trends of negative economic growth and job losses. She credited the $787 billion federal stimulus plan for part of that.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last Friday that October’s national jobless rate was 10.2 percent -- the highest rate since April 1983.
The rate was 9.8 percent in September, 7.6 percent in January when Obama took office and 4.7 percent in November 2007.
The end of 2007 has been pegged as the start of the recession.
The U.S. lost 190,000 jobs in October and has lost 4.1 million jobs since January, though the losses have eased somewhat since late 2008.
She is a pig.
What part of illegal doesn’t she not understand. Why don’t these people just declare Mexico as another state and be done with it!!
Shooting anyone who crosses the border illegally would do a better job.
The only thing it will help is getting democrats reelected. Rahm Emanuel is at it again, just like when Clinton was in office. We are allowing people who were not born here destroy our country.
Well, DUH, Janet...drag them out of the shadows and send them home and shut the border door behind them! Also send the kids they bred here while they were illegal also. See how simple that is?
Ted Kennedy on the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Bill, Quote: “This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this.”
Of course, Kennedy and the rest of the Democrat Party have been hard at work since then to have yet another amnesty.
I don't understand why the Republicans never point out the Democrat lies and hypocrisy in this and other policy matters. They should at least point out that with unemployment due to hit 13% the last thing we should due is legalize 13mil illegal aliens.
Yes and anyone here illegally with nefarious intentions to harm our national security will follow any laws to make sure they aren’t in the shadows any longer...
These people are idiots.
Those who don’t qualify for this amnesty or fail background checks won’t be asked to leave.
No it won’t!!
Listen, amnesty is the same as tearing down the border with Mexico.
After “amnesty”, what’s to stop a few million more from coming here? If caught, what’s gonna happen?
The cop will say “How long you been here??...” the new illegal border crosser will say “I was here when amnesty passed” or more likely will say “No hable Anglais” and then just trott off on his way and call more of his buds down there and urge them to come here.
FN government DOES NOT REPRESENT Americans and the Constitution any longer!!
Is this a veiled reference to Barak Hussein Obama?
What a moron. Legalizing illegals will probably increase human smuggling, and all other activities centered around illegal immigration. These fools just can't learn, or will never admit, that legalizing illegals just provides new incentive for the next swarms of illegals.
"The former Arizona governor also defended Obama administration economic policies, saying the Democratic president has reversed the trends of negative economic growth and job losses. She credited the $787 billion federal stimulus plan for part of that.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last Friday that October’s national jobless rate was 10.2 percent -- the highest rate since April 1983. The rate was 9.8 percent in September, 7.6 percent in January when Obama took office and 4.7 percent in November 2007. The end of 2007 has been pegged as the start of the recession. The U.S. lost 190,000 jobs in October and has lost 4.1 million jobs since January, though the losses have eased somewhat since late 2008.
I agree. The combination of amnesty, extended family reunification, lax enforcement of interior immigration laws, and a treasure trove of free benefits will effectively be open southern borders. There will be a rush to the border during the initial amnesty period. The initial amnesty period will be extended by popular demand.
2010 won't be as hard as I thought.
Of course, that’s assuming there will be elections in 2010. I no longer live under that assumption.
Amnesty is our Fort Sumter.
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