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America must drain the immigration swamp
www.charlotte.com/ ^ | Sat, Sep. 27, 2003 | TOM ASHCRAFT

Posted on 09/27/2003 7:07:33 PM PDT by getget

America must drain the immigration swamp Make borders secure and deport the illegals who are already here

The U.S. armed forces have done a magnificent job in Afghanistan and Iraq in carrying out the orders of their civilian leaders. Indeed, American blood is still being sacrificed, and the federal treasury has been opened wide for the necessary support.

As to the battle against illegal immigration at home, the political leaders have long since declared unconditional surrender. A few limited reforms since 9-11 have not changed the fundamentals. In the common parlance of those who live along America's southern border, immigration enforcement is "a joke." What's worse, after years of neglect, it's now a lethal joke that threatens the safety of every American.

According to Census Bureau estimates, among a foreign-born population of 33.1 million living in the United States, some 8 to 9 million are illegal immigrants. Others put the total at 13-14 million.

Another half million illegals enter the country every year and stay; hundreds of thousands more enter but then leave. According to a Sept. 17 NPR report, 1,000 illegals enter Arizona every day. There are probably more illegal aliens in America than the entire population of North Carolina, the 11th largest state in the union.

With this culture of immigration lawlessness, it is not surprising that five of the 19 foreign nationals who hijacked the 9-11 planes were in illegal status, largely visa overstays. Moreover, all had played the immigration system like a fiddle, freely obtaining business, tourist, vocational training and student visas, and generally entering "legally."

Among the 19, according to Robert Thibadeau at Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, they held 63 state driver's licenses for identification.

The Center for Immigration Studies (www.cis.org) is a respected Washington think tank. In its May 2002 report "The Open Door: How Militant Islamic Terrorists Entered and Remained in the United States, 1993-2001," Steven Camarota reviewed 48 cases of foreign-born Islamic terrorists who have been charged, convicted, pled guilty or admitted involvement in terrorism in the United States since 1993. Their crimes involved 9-11, murders outside the CIA in Virginia, the first attack on the World Trade Center, bombing plots in Brooklyn and New York City and the millennium plot to bomb Los Angeles airport, among others.

The findings of the report indicate that what is supposed to be a protective net of laws to assure an orderly flow of legal immigrants has become, in practice, an open sieve utilized by terrorists and criminals. Virtually every aspect of immigration control has been penetrated by wrongdoers. "Terrorists have even used America's humanitarian tradition of welcoming those seeking asylum," the report states.

It also identifies what is the deadly dynamic of the whole system.

Stemming from the "existence of a large illegal population" and "widely flouted" immigration laws, the report cites "a general contempt for the law among all parties involved, including those officials charged with enforcing it." It is this "contempt factor" which leaves us all sitting on a ticking time bomb of future terrorist acts inside the United States.

Nobody maintains that most illegals in the country are terrorists.

Frankly, they're often victims of, if not terrorism, at least the petty tyranny of the governments whose jurisdiction they have fled. Mexico's rulers, for example, are not totalitarian like Cuba's, but they have been corrupt for generations, robbing decent, hard-working Mexicans of the opportunity to build economic prosperity.

Nonetheless, the fact of widespread immigration lawlessness, whether originating with Mexican nationals or others fleeing injustice, has engendered disregard and contempt for our immigration system -- by foreigners, citizens and even immigration officials, especially Border Patrol agents.

Within this swamp of routine lawbreaking and endemic cynicism, terrorists find it easy to insinuate themselves. If millions can break the law every day and get away with it, why can't a few of Osama bin Laden's lieutenants do so as well?

Accordingly, we have no choice but to drain the immigration swamp. The borders and ports of entry must be made secure by whatever means necessary, including effective fortifications along the Mexican and Canadian boundaries. In addition, the illegals who are here, irrespective of the number, must be deported.

These actions amount to little more than regularizing immigration enforcement. They have been neglected for so long, however, it will take a revolution in Washington thinking to achieve them.

To succeed will restore respect for immigration law and eliminate the soft underbelly of our national security -- chronic immigration chaos. To fail will run the risk that the sacrifices of Americans in the current war on terrorism have been in vain.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: borders; homelandsecurity; illegals; immigrantlist
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To: getget
There's a FReeper who posts an eighteen point list of objectives to end or at least severely curtail illegal immigration. I hope he/she shows up on this thread.

At any rate, a firm installment of prop. 187, sending Vicente Fox the bills, and ending things like the 'wet foot-dry foot' policy would due. Is there a legitimate reason why we can't post national guard troops at the northern and southern borders?
21 posted on 09/27/2003 8:31:33 PM PDT by cyborg (dankie jou)
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To: AngrySpud
"Within ten seconds every employee had run out the back door."

Hey, I think you're on to something here....American citizens should just walk up to illegal aliens and threaten to call the Marshall! Keep em' running until they are all back in their own countries. Then we seal up the borders and all of this is done at no cost to American citizens....problem solved!! ;-}
22 posted on 09/27/2003 8:34:39 PM PDT by Arpege92
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To: cyborg
People who speak spanish do not bother me. Illegal aliens do.

I don't care if someone chooses not to talk at all ---- as long as they can provide for their own families and quit demanding taxpayer money be handed over to them because of their choice. In this region one third the population refuses to to learn English, one third the population lives below poverty levels and well over a third are collecting some kind of government handout.

Illegals who are self sufficient and take absolutely no taxpayer money bother me less than all the many welfare leeches moving in from Mexico. Many use the anchor baby system to be allowed to stay here but also never expect to work ----- they manage to find every welfare program that exists but never manage to learn English.

23 posted on 09/27/2003 9:08:18 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: getget
they should also close the "marry a us citizen and get divorce 1 day after the two year limit" loophole.
24 posted on 09/27/2003 9:08:41 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: FITZ
good points... I agree
25 posted on 09/27/2003 9:28:13 PM PDT by cyborg (dankie jou)
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To: FITZ
Fitz ... tenderly ...

The populous appears to not understand that immigrants need sponsors that ensure they will not be a burden on the republic.

I refuse to acknowledge this come lately thing .... are you being held hostage?
26 posted on 09/27/2003 10:10:37 PM PDT by LNewman (i)
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To: getget
I sent this article to O'Reilly and to Hannity of Fox News. Hope it gets some attention there.
27 posted on 09/27/2003 10:17:56 PM PDT by janetgreen
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To: LNewman
The populous appears to not understand that immigrants need sponsors that ensure they will not be a burden on the republic.

Except that immigrants do not need sponsors that ensure they will not be a burden on the Republic. Far from it ---- a sponsor only needs to be 125% over the national poverty level and the sponsor's income is counted in with their immigrant's income which could be $0 a year when determining eligibility for government programs like SSI and Medicaid. A sponsor does not need to ever contribute a dime toward the upkeep of their immigrant.

28 posted on 09/27/2003 10:24:25 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: getget
If Ann Coulter is correct with the books "TREASON" and "SLANDER" (and she is) we had better clean up the house before beginning to drain the swamp... because!..

Democrat Party-->>If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.

29 posted on 09/27/2003 10:41:58 PM PDT by hosepipe
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To: LNewman
The guidance contains important information regarding both how the I-864 form should be completed and how the INS should determine whether a sponsor meets the statute’s requirement that she or he be able to support the immigrant at 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The new guidance is contained in a memorandum issued by INS Acting Associate Commissioner Michael D. Cronin....

According to the guidance, the question on the I-864 regarding the use of means-tested benefits by a sponsor or a member of the household in the past three years ensures that such benefits are not counted as income on the form. Sponsors should not be disqualified for responding that they have used means-tested benefits. The guidance states that sponsors may count earned benefits as income, including those derived from Social Security retirement, Unemployment Compensation, and Workers’ Compensation. Notably, the U.S. State Dept. does not allow the latter two benefits to be counted as income....

A sponsor’s spouse may choose to complete Form I-864A (Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member) if he or she qualifies as a household member and wishes to have his or her income counted towards meeting the 125 percent-of-poverty requirement. However, since the spouse is not required to complete this form, the sponsor may be limited to using his or her own income and assets in meeting this requirement. Where a sponsor’s spouse qualifies as a household member and is the sponsored immigrant, he or she should not complete Form I-864A. However, if the spouse is the sponsored immigrant but there are also immigrant children of the spouse listed on the affidavit of support, the spouse must complete the I-864A.

The guidance states that a sponsored immigrant’s income may be used toward meeting the sponsor’s income requirement if the immigrant has been living in the sponsor’s residence for at least six months prior to the adjustment interview. The sponsored immigrant should not complete Form I-864A in this case because it is presumed that he or she will support him or herself. However, if there is a spouse and/or child immigrating with the sponsored immigrant, the sponsored immigrant must complete Form I-864A in order to have his or her income counted.

A sponsored immigrant’s assets may be counted if a sponsor’s income and assets are insufficient by themselves. In this case, the net value of the immigrant’s assets are added to those of the sponsor. The immigrant does not need to complete form I-864A to have the assets counted.....

http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/aosupp/aosupp009.htm

30 posted on 09/27/2003 10:43:18 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: LNewman
You are probably referring to the $5,000 bank account for a person toget a family member here from another country.

Possibly at one time that was the law. This is how it worked. A Filipino nurse told me that when she arrived in the US, she and 7 or 8 Filipino nursed shared an apartment. They pooled their money and deposited $5,000 in a bank account for the first nurse to get a family member. When the INS had viewed the bank account and OK'd the family member, they transferred the $5,000 to another bank account for another nurse's family member. They repeated the process until they got all their family members here.

They also applied and received government aid for their parents.

From what I have read, this law has been changed to Fitz"s explanation of the 125%.
31 posted on 09/27/2003 10:53:07 PM PDT by texastoo
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To: cyborg
"Is there a legitimate reason why we can't post national guard troops at the northern and southern borders?"

Yes the Guard and other military are already deployed to guard the borders of Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, etc.etc..

32 posted on 09/27/2003 11:00:51 PM PDT by Howie
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To: texastoo
And here's more which explains how many federal programs an immigrant can wish to get in on ---- like Food Stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid and many others. They're shouldn't cross their fingers for TANF.

INS GUIDANCE ON PUBLIC CHARGE – WHEN IS IT SAFE TO USE PUBLIC BENEFITS?

http://www.nilc.org/ce/nilc/pubchg.htm

I like this one: "The INS will not look at whether your children or other family members used health care or other non-cash benefits like those listed above. If your children or other family members use cash welfare (like TANF or SSI), it will not count against you in a public charge decision unless it is your family's only income."




33 posted on 09/27/2003 11:01:30 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: texastoo
You can very often find wealthy immigrants being very careful when they bring over their dearly loved parents. They'll find a relative or two who come close to the 125% of federal poverty levels to do the sponsoring so that the wealth of the others (which can be extremely high) won't be considered when taking the parents to apply for their SSI, food stamps, HUD, and Medicaid.
34 posted on 09/27/2003 11:04:13 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: Howie
Yes you are right. Perhaps setting aside a certain number of national guardsmen for the borders. I think the good benefits would far outweigh the costs.
35 posted on 09/27/2003 11:05:06 PM PDT by cyborg (dankie jou)
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To: FITZ
I read you web site. It explains everything well. So well, that in my next life I want to be an illegal alien.

Are you aware that the WIC program goes to the age of 5?

36 posted on 09/27/2003 11:41:48 PM PDT by texastoo
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To: getget
"Others put the total at 13-14 million."

Make that 30 million and they will have a better chance of having me believe their figgures.

37 posted on 09/27/2003 11:47:56 PM PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: texastoo
Are you aware that the WIC program goes to the age of 5?

Yes --- and starts before they're even born. And Head Start starts at age 3 ---- so the same child can be getting WIC coupons plus food stamps (that don't decrease with WIC) and free breakfast, lunch and snacks at Head Start (and that doesn't decrease the WIC or Food Stamps). What they ought to do is gather up all these many welfare programs they have and cut out all the duplication.

38 posted on 09/27/2003 11:51:45 PM PDT by FITZ
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To: getget
"[T]he report cites "a general contempt for the law among all parties involved, including those officials charged with enforcing it."

This is the thing. Nobody even has a shred of an idea how to start enforcing these laws because it has been decades since that's ever been done.

But, we've got to turn it around. We are truly under invasion. I think of shopping in malls here in Northern New Jersey and at moments I can look around the mall and EVERY SINGLE PERSON is a foreigner. I mean that, literally. Our inner cities are falling apart, nobody can get a job, and yet we can take in millions and millions of new ILLEGAL arrivals every year?

No, we cannot. It is time for them to go. It IS time to drain the immigration swamp. The Amnesty in '86 did nothing, because nothing was done to secure the borders. And it is not just the border with Mexico or Canada, it is the border at every international airport.

The Federal government has already manifestly failed to protect us, which is their primary responsibility. I suggest we all start to lean on Tom Ridge, as secretary of homeland security, or whatever his title is, I reckon this is his lookout.

Immigration reform will never come from the top, but it WILL come from the grassroots, just as abortion restrictions have.

Just remember what the lefties used to chant in the sixties:

THE PEOPLE, UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!

39 posted on 09/28/2003 2:56:34 AM PDT by jocon307 (Moving to New Zealand soon (apologies to F. Zappa))
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To: jocon307
I think of shopping in malls here in Northern New Jersey and at moments I can look around the mall and EVERY SINGLE PERSON is a foreigner.

Unless that includes you then this statement is false! :-)

40 posted on 09/28/2003 4:54:45 AM PDT by raybbr
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