Bush official slammed for stopping illegals sweeps

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Tuesday, July 13, 2004 | Ron Strom

[JohnHuang2]

Border Patrol agents who executed highly popular roundups of illegal aliens in Southern California last month – the first of their kind in recent memory – say they've been told to stop such enforcement action, and the Bush administration official in charge of the immigration enforcement has refused to say if there would be additional sweeps in the future.

In an extraordinary radio interview Thursday on Los Angeles talk-radio station KFI, talk-show host John Kobylt grilled Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson about why the roundups had been ended. The official, a former congressman who works under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, attempted to defend the Bush administration record on immigration enforcement, but was repeatedly pressured by Kobylt to justify the canceling of the sweeps.

In early June, the Temecula Border Patrol station formed a special Mobile Patrol Group that conducted a series of illegal-alien sweeps in Norco, Corona and Escondido, Calif. The12-man group made more than 450 arrests as a result of the roundups.

Ron Zermeno, shop steward for the National Border Patrol Council at the Temecula station was frustrated with the decision to stop the sweeps.

"We don't know which way to turn. For once we were doing our job, what the government pays us to do," he told the North County Times.

After the roundups occurred, Latino activists protested at Border Patrol stations demanding an end to the sweeps.

Late last month, Hutchinson told members of Congress the raids were executed without the approval of higher-ranking officials, according to the Times report. While the sweeps were not illegal, they violated policy and the chain of command, Hutchinson said at the time.

In the radio interview, which lasted 22 minutes without any commercial breaks, Kobylt repeatedly confronted Hutchinson about when sweeps of illegal aliens would begin again.

While Hutchinson did not directly confirm that the sweeps had been stopped, he repeatedly stressed that future operations would have to be "coordinated" with other agencies. He told Kobylt while the priority of the Border Patrol is stopping the flow of aliens at the border, he also supports "interior enforcement" of immigration laws.

"Those 12 guys in Temecula rounded up 400 people in three days," Kobylt said. "Why not let them do what they're doing? They don't need to coordinate with anybody.

"They were doing fine, and the American taxpayers here in Southern California were thrilled beyond belief."

While Hutchinson argued the priority should be placing personnel at the border, Kobylt countered that California has 2 million illegal aliens who he says are a drain on the taxpayers of the state.

"It's $5 billion in tax money going down the hole every year to support these people," he told Hutchinson. "Why aren't you doing your job? Why do we still have tens of thousands of illegal aliens piling over the border every year?"

Kobylt charged Hutchinson with not neglecting the task of interior enforcement, pointing out the California roundups were big news stories because such action had not been taken "for years."

"When are the [round ups] going to start up again?" Kobylt asked Hutchinson.

"I'm not going to announce that on the radio," responded the official, who appeared riled by Kobylt's direct and persistent questioning. "You can expect interior enforcement actions in the future."

Kobylt accused Hutchinson of bowing to political pressure from immigrant-rights groups. He slammed the official for not confirming that the roundups would continue.

Said Kobylt after one of Huthinson's responses: "That's gobbledy-gook."

The host continued to pound on the roundup issue, but did not get the "yes or no" answer he was looking for.

"Yes or no, are you going to restart the border sweeps?" Kobylt pressed.

Responded Hutchinson: "We're going to continue the enforcement operations. They'll be coordinated between the Border Patrol and the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents. And that's the commitment that we make."

The talk-show host also pressed Hutchinson on the lack of enforcement action against employers in Southern California who hire illegal aliens.

"We have never seen a single company executive indicted for employing illegal aliens in this state," Kobylt said, who told Hutchinson he was "tap dancing" around his pointed questions.

"We have an enormous illegal-alien problem here in Southern California, and we are getting zero help from the federal government," Kobylt said.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a long-time advocate of tough immigration enforcement talked to Kobylt and co-host Ken Chiampou yesterday about the interview.

Kobylt encouraged Tancredo to read part of the interview on the floor of the House of Representatives.

"Well, that's an idea," Tancredo said. "I will talk about this on the House floor and I will try to figure out a way to interweave that."

Said Kobylt: "We don't want this Hutchinson thing to die. …

"I don't care if [Hutchinson's] a nice guy or not. I don't care if he gives mouth-to-mouth to dying dogs. It doesn't matter to me. Is he going to do the job on something that is extremely important that three-quarters of the state wants enforced?"

Zermeno said the halt in sweeps stems from pressure from Latino-rights activists and others.

"It's a few activists that are screaming for us to stop doing our job, and they are the ones getting Hutchinson's ear. It's very frustrating," Zermeno told the Times.

The KFI talkers have urged listeners to contact Hutchinson's office about the issue. The following message appears on the show's website:

Trey Bohn is the director of Radio, Office of Media Affairs, for the White House, and he wants you to stop e-mailing Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Trey wants you to use a generic e-mail address, where you letters may or may not be seen. If you get a chance, why not give Trey a call and remind him who pays his salary. Call Trey at (202) 456-3851. Joseph Farah, WND editor and host of radio program "WorldNetDaily RadioActive," will play the interview on his show today. The program runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

[Terabitten]

I can see your point, but I personally think Hutchinson made a pretty clear statement. "When are the [round ups] going to start up again?" Kobylt asked Hutchinson. "I'm not going to announce that on the radio," responded the official, who appeared riled by Kobylt's direct and persistent questioning. "You can expect interior enforcement actions in the future."

That appears pretty straightforward to me. He's specifically saying that the interior enforcement ops *will* occur again, but not when. Not saying when could be considered weaseling on the issue, but it could also be interpreted as not wanting to let the illegals know when the USBP was going to get its hunting liscense back.

He [Kobylt] slammed the official for not confirming that the roundups would continue. The host continued to pound on the roundup issue, but did not get the "yes or no" answer he was looking for.

"Yes or no, are you going to restart the border sweeps?" Kobylt pressed.

Responded Hutchinson: "We're going to continue the (emphasis mine) enforcement operations. They'll be coordinated between the Border Patrol and the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents. And that's the commitment that we make."

Hutchinson responding that USBP and ICE will continute *the* enforcement operations seems to me to indicate that, given the context of the conversation, that he's specifically talking about the interior sweeps. I, too, would have preferred if he'd said "Yes, we will continue interior enforcement," but this appears to me to be as close as you'll ever get a politician to come to "yes" or "no." Not that I'm putting it past him, necessarily, but it would be near-Clintonian parsing to try to make this say otherwise, I think.

Now, having said all this, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I re-read the article as you requested, and I didn't come to another conclusion. Would you mind showing me what led you to your conclusion? I suspect it may just be different interpretations of the same passage. I'm not trying to be a wise-@ss, I really just don't see it. Thanks!

[swarthyguy]

>>We have never seen a single company executive indicted for employing illegal aliens in this state

Or anywhere else. And you never will.

[Not A Snowbird]

My original post was to somebody else. You jumped in with your usual nasty rhetoric, to which I responded. I didn't invite you to post to me, you inserted yourself.

If I don't post to you, please don't post to me. That shouldn't be hard.

[SCalGal]

I re-read the article as you requested, and I didn't come to another conclusion. Would you mind showing me what led you to your conclusion? I suspect it may just be different interpretations of the same passage.

You're right - we've got different interpretations. I don't believe that he's going to re-start the interior sweeps because he didn't specifically say he was. Add to that the fact that the head of the Temecula office is suddenly gone, and I am extremely skeptical.

Of course, if you consider the source (me) combined with this issue, even if Asa said he was going to start up the sweeps, I'd still want to see it first...

[Joe Hadenuf]

I didn't invite you to post to me, you inserted yourself. If I don't post to you, please don't post to me. That shouldn't be hard.

You responed to me, so I responded back to you. That's how it works Sandy.

People post uninvited posts to me all the time. It's no big deal. If you don't want to be responded to, I suggest you don't post at all, otherwise, you should expect to be resonded to.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Er, responded to.......

[Not A Snowbird]

Respond away if you feel you must. I have asked you to leave me alone; if you choose to continue badgering me with your spiteful sniping at my government employment and the agency I represent, so be it. You will be greeted with the sound of crickets chirping.

I will even give you the last word. Have at it.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Please Sandy, try and stick to the subject/issue at hand, and stop trying to make me the issue. You are the one, after all that broadcasted to the world that you had a government job, not I.

Here is the subject Sandy.

"Bush official slammed for stopping illegals sweeps".....

[Boiling point]

O.K., Pie in the sky here, but, since the gubmint isn't going to do anything about the border, what if citizens donating labor and money, and materials voluntarily, on private land with permission mind you, built an impenetrable barrier? Al with the same design to be connected later. This would at least force the border crossings to occur on public lands, decreasing the total area of leakage to a more manageable size. Imagine the caterwauling from the left! And if the feds tried to stop it, it would only shed light on their own ineffectiveness. Tell me where to send my first load of concrete.

[TLI]

Is that honestly what you want?

It does not matter one whit what "I honestly want." Anyone within spitting distance of common sense can recognize that pretty please don't cross the border is not working.

Laws that fine employers that use illegals are not working.

Immigration laws that are aimed at preventing individuals from earning profits from illegally entering the country are not working.

Golly gosh, this is not Kansas . . . IS NOT WORKING.

Here in Texas you can not find a white kid working in a burger joint, yard crew, car wash, 7-11 or ANYWHERE because the racists mexicans have flooded all of these (and many other) occupations and illegally keep whites out. Of course they are the little smiley face "minorities" and therefore can not possibly be raciest or guilty of violating Federal Employment Laws or apparently guilty of any crime, right up until they murder and rape.

[Not A Snowbird]

Okay, I understand. Thanks.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

It still looks like a ploy by Liberals in the BP to scare out the Latino vote for the Democrats and throw some business over to their Liberal lawyer friends at the same time.

You are actually replying to the guy who predicted the "Bush apologists" would start spinning this. Are you even conscious how ridiculous your "ploy" conspiracy theory sounds? Any clue?

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I know I'm preaching to the faithful here, but those of us who are disgusted need to put in our two cents every now and then so the major parties don't think we're mellowing on this issue.

Yes but I like your sermon, Reverend! Check this out, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1170106/posts its too bad you can't vote in CA, eh?

[Mamzelle]

In Hilton Head, SC, black leaders are begging the feds to enforce immigration laws.

The entry-level service/tourist jobs along the coast used to go to US black youth, now they go to illegals. I always wondered what would happen when blacks discovered that illegal aliens were going to squeeze them out of not only jobs, but political clout. Notice that there isn't a lot of ads and outreach this cycle from the Dems to their black base. They are thoroughly being taken for granted, and might be a potential GOP pickup. But our side is chasing the illegal alien vote harder than the Dems.

Once the employers decide that breaking the law is safe, they far prefer illegals to legals. Illegals take orders much better, are far more humble and grateful, and can be abused and cheated and fired without cause if necessary.

I think one way to try to stem this tide is to raise taxes on those who don't earn much--tax the entry-level jobs. At least this would help pay for the services that they use.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Joe Baca doesn't have the authority. The Bush administration does. Not according to our firends in the press. Why don't you focus your disagreement towards Joe Baca(D-CA) instead of Asa Hutchinson, after all it is Joe Baca(D-CA) who started this fuss in the first place.

This is awesome, you still have your stiffy for Joe Baca even on other threads. I'm beginning to think that one guy was right about you, its soooo weird. Enjoy;

Since when did what the press say matter? Joe Baca is a lowly junior House member, and suddenly he has more power than the Homeland Security Dept? This is why you are so wrong, the Chairman is Chris Cox, and David Dreier is a ranking member on that committee. Even so, they are just a committee, what the original poster said was a game-set-match to your Baca blathering, the Administration is the one who has the authority.

Even by your increasingly paranoid, insane tent-pitching for Joe Baca, exactly what did he do again? He complained to whom? Why did that work? Because the person he complained to was the man who made the decision to stop the sweeps.

[StoneColdGOP]

ROFLMAO!

[Dane]

Since when did what the press say matter? Joe Baca is a lowly junior House member,

Huh he's an elected member of the House from your home state of California.

You two should look up the word denial, IMO.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

you quote like Maureen Dowd, this is like 10 posts you have gotten it wrong, there is no way anyone is that dense, you're purposefully leaving out the rest of the sentence to rif away, you're a dishonest, sad little Hutchinson Shill. Let me remind you what it said;

and suddenly he has more power than the Homeland Security Dept? This is why you are so wrong, the Chairman is Chris Cox, and David Dreier is a ranking member on that committee. Even so, they are just a committee, what the original poster said was a game-set-match to your Baca blathering, the Administration is the one who has the authority.

If the man you long for has any power, its that the guy you are covering for in the Homeland Sec Dept gave it to him. He's a name because Asa made him one by buckling like a belt.

This fixation, this passion, this MANIA you have for this nobody is stunning. Even Joe Baca doesn't know what to say.

"El Asa Hutchinson es mi perra."

[P-Marlowe]

Why don't you focus your disagreement towards Joe Baca(D-CA)

John and Ken were on Joe Baca's butt like white on rice yesterday. Just get over it Dane.

[Dane]

Even Joe Baca doesn't know what to say

Exactly, and I say good he would be speechless, since his flying monkeys, John and Ken, and some on FR have failed miserably to keep him out of the spotlight.