Posted on 09/22/2006 7:43:18 AM PDT by Dane
Tancredo: 'I Don't Trust the President' on Border Security By Kevin Mooney CNSNews.com Staff Writer September 22, 2006
(CNSNews.com) - An immigration compromise plan will not work, because President Bush cannot be trusted to "certify" America's borders are secure, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said Thursday.
In an effort to reconcile the divergent immigration bills in the House and Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) put forth a compromise plan this summer that would require the president to "certify" the successful implementation of security measures along the most porous entry points into the U.S. before a guest worker program could be implemented.
"I don't trust the president to say the borders are secure," Tancredo told an audience at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. He said immigration policy should be formulated with an emphasis on law enforcement as opposed to "political pandering" for votes. Tancredo also cited a "disconnect" between "elite policy makers" and the American people.
This week, the Senate is considering House legislation that would authorize the construction of 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the most porous sections of America's southwestern border.
Additional measures passed by the House Thursday impose criminal penalties on the construction and financing of border tunnels and provide for expedited removal of criminal aliens. The legislation also "reaffirms the authority" of state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Should the Senate fail to act on border enforcement legislation, Tancredo sees grassroots efforts and citizen activism on the local level as a viable alternative. He would like to see citizen support for strict local laws against illegal immigration and support for pro-enforcement officials at the local level.
Tancredo pointed to a local ordinance in Hazelton, Pa., as an example of the kind of legislation local officials could enact. The ordinance imposes fines and penalties on landlords who rent to illegal aliens and on businesses who hire them.
Similar measures have also passed in other parts of Pennsylvania and in Riverside, N.J.
Tancredo took issue with some conservative strategists - such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform - who feel that a push for stringent immigration policies could hurt the Republican Party politically.
"I don't buy it," Tancredo said. "By saying we should be a nation of laws, we will gain votes."
As evidence, Tancredo pointed to Proposition 200 in Arizona, which requires government employees to verify the immigration status of people applying for benefits. Tancredo noted that law was enacted with support from 47 percent of the state's Hispanics.
However, since everyone who supports Tancredo acts like he is doing it solely because he cares about the issue, I think it important to point out what I think is a good part of his motivation.
Catch and release is ending as we are able to keep more people in detention facilities, which are increasing monthly as more facilities are built. One cannot expect the President to wave a magic wand and suddenly have the facilities to hold all suspected illegals. And before you say it, they MUST be given a hearing if they request one, before they are deported. That is part of the law that people keep telling us we need to enforce.
Take a look at a last month's DHS Fact Sheet: Secure Border Initiative Update
Ending Catch and Release
* 99% Apprehended Now Being Detained For Return. In the week of August 7-13, 2006, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended 1055 non-Mexican illegal aliens at the Southern border, and released only 7 non-Mexican illegal aliens.
* Last Year Only 34% Detained. This year’s detention numbers are a dramatic improvement. For comparison, in January of this year, the number of apprehensions was significantly higher, and DHS was only able to detain half of the non-Mexican illegal aliens arrested. At this time last year, the detention rate was 34% of all non-Mexican illegal aliens apprehended.
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Why do you suppose the DHS is putting such an emphasis on "non-Mexican illegal aliens" being caught and held?
Because catch and release is still the standard practice of the Bush Administration toward Mexican illegal aliens, and most illegal aliens are from Mexico.
But just yesterday Chertoff said,
"First, I'd like to say, we did end "catch and release." Last November, what I said is we would end it by the end of September of this year. In fact, we beat the deadline. And we have now ended "catch and release.""
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How can Chertoff say that they've ended catch and release when it's still DHS policy to catch and release most of the illegal aliens they catch? Do you think Chertoff is being honest?
I understand your question. I need to leave, but I will see if I can find out what's going on and get back to you...probably tomorrow some time.
Tancredo took issue with some conservative strategists - such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform - who feel that a push for stringent immigration policies could hurt the Republican Party politically.
"I don't buy it," Tancredo said. "By saying we should be a nation of laws, we will gain votes."
Yes, a nation of laws. What a concept!
REAL Conservatives. LMAO!
Since you and La Raza hate him, Tancredo must be a good conservative.
LOL!
That would be enough to make me drink the hemlock.
"Can anybody say meglomaniac nutball?"
Yes, and his name is Dane.
"He is writing his political death warrant here."
Hahahahaha. Talk about someone with no political insight. And to say you are a "real" conservative is a joke. You are a Bushbot, plain and simple. Wind you up and you say the same things over and over. Your political ignorance is showing, in case you haven't noticed it. Graf just won the primary, the Republican primary, you know. On the immigration issue, in Arizona. Oh, and by the way, Tancredo is in Congress, actually DOING something; you are on Free Republic spouting off from your armchair. So, whose getting something done? Not you, unless you count ranting and raving against Tancredo as getting something done. All mouth, no brain.
Tancredo is 1000% right!
Run, Tom, run.
I wish the intra-R rhetoric was quieter from both sides. W is wrong. But he's not a bad man. Tancredo is right and a good guy. The folks who trash Tancredo here are, I think, just very pissed-off that he has beat them like a drum on this issue.
Amnesty is history at this point. There's nothing for the dems and money R's to trade to get everyone else to accept amnesty. They thought they could trade border enforcement for amnesty and it didn't work.
Frankly, I think we will end up implementing a much more limited and serious guest worker program down the line because there will be some genuine economic disruption caused by enforcement. But that program will be geared toward actual data from actual problems. It won't be the "open the gates and load the buses" sort of program the dems and business R's wanted.
This battle will cause a big realignment of money in politics. Much of the business money that has been going to R's is going to start going to D's now that the amnesty payoff is with the D's. By that, I mean that amnesty will be back on the table if the D's sweep to power in 2008.
So conservatives had better get ready to start raising money in alternative ways.
Bush never proposed amnesty in the first place. Yeah see that's the big lie promoted by the likes of Tancredo.
And if you think Tancredo lying makes him a good man, that's your perogative, like it is the democrats perogative to think clinton is a good man depite his lying.
Tancredo is no nutball.
I don't trust Bush and Rove on border security, nor do I trust any Democrat or any U.S. Senator on this subject.
I highly doubt that. Why would business help elect people, the D's, who would tax and regulate them to death.
The tancredo faction is a small one and also hates business, but not because of business will makea profit, but because of the people they hire to create wealth for the economy.
IMO, there will be a guest worker program, despite the innate hatred of business the far left(hillary & co) and the far right(tancredo & co.) has.
And I don't trust tom tancredo on security either, because all he wants is the issue to keep PAC money flowing.
See two can play tancredo's nasty game.
I remember you posting on this subject before Dane.
You must be an orange grower or run a sweatshop somewhere, or are an illegal alien yourself.
Or perhaps you're an immigration attorney. I don't know.
But you seem to want illegals crwaling over our borders and have no problem at all with subject.
But you seem to want illegals crwaling over our borders and have no problem at all with subject.
And you certainly aren't a mind reader. I'm not for uncontrolled borders, what I am is for the free flow of commerce and don't see business as evil as the far left and tancredo and co.
That is why I am for a guest wroker program. BTW, we would n't have a labor shortage if some 40 million babies had been aborted since 1973.
But tancredo hardly ever talks about that.
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