Posted on 03/08/2002 1:24:33 PM PST by sarcasm
Friday, March 08, 2002 - WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Tancredo takes credit for thwarting the Bush administration's last effort to offer partial amnesty to thousands of illegal residents, but Thursday the outspoken immigration foe said he may have been outmaneuvered by the White House.
President Bush has struck a deal with the House leadership to place legislation that offers an extension of amnesty on its consent calendar before Bush heads to Mexico for a state visit next week, the Colorado Republican said. That action should ensure quick House passage of legislation that Bush has repeatedly sought from Congress. It would allow an undocumented person to receive legal standing, such as a valid green card, by filing a declaration with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It presumably also would require the person to have been in the United States by a certain date and have filed a declaration with the INS from an appropriate sponsor, such as a relative or employer, and pay a $1,000 penalty. "The terms are still up in the air," said Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration, a group that has been allied with Tancredo. "We've heard to the effect that the president wants something to bring down to Mexico." The initial Bush proposal, designed exclusively for Mexicans, once was high on the president's legislative wish list, but it was delayed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. However, as the president noted Wednesday in a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, he now is pushing for the extension of the amnesty program known by the section of immigration law that covers it, Section 245I. The president hailed it as a way to reunite family, separated by the border. "If you believe in family values, if you understand the worth of family and the importance of family, let's get 245I out of the United States Congress and give me a chance to sign it," Bush told the chamber members. Tancredo, the head of a congressional caucus on immigration issues and proponent of halting virtually all immigration, said he had blocked a previous attempt by Bush to push an extension of the amnesty program through the House. But this time, he said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., had agreed to place the issue on the suspension, or consent, calendar, making it difficult to defeat the proposal. The Senate might be more favorable to the bill than the House, expanding the numbers of individuals who can apply, Tancredo said.
I fully understand FITZ. And to think, as our so-called leaders and rich elite encourage and support this titanic invasion, these same people pass laws to disarm the poor American citizen. I understand your plight. The elite and politically connected could care less.
The rich elite and our so-called leaders prefer unarmed, uneducated peasants. This is what it amounts to.
Capture of cartel chief unlikely to affect city
Diana Washington Valdez
The Juárez-El Paso corridor, which is dominated by the Carrillo Fuentes drug organization, likely won't see any change as a result of Saturday's capture of Benjamin Arellano Felix, leader of the Tijuana drug cartel, former DEA Special Agent Phil Jordan said.
"The Southwest border is more affected by the Carrillo Fuentes Juárez drug cartel than by the Tijuana cartel," he said. "We probably won't see any change in drug traffic."
The former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center also said that while the capo's capture will score points for Mexican President Vicente Fox, the proof of Fox's commitment lies in whether Mexico extradites Arellano to face drug charges in the United States.
Last month, Arellano's brother, Ramon, reportedly was killed in a shootout in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. Because of the strange way in which his body was handled, many people remain suspicious about the reported death. Mexican authorities admitted that people who used fake identification on documents claimed his body and had it cremated immediately.
Power shifts
"I'm skeptical about the Ramon Arellano situation," Jordan said. "I'm going to have to look into it further before I can say I believe that he's dead."
The rivalry between the Tijuana and Juárez cartels surfaces in Juárez at times through violent murders designed to discipline members. The cartels also conduct internal purges to get rid of people they no longer trust.
U.S. and Mexican drug experts say both cartels have their following in Chihuahua state. Such a relationship lasts until a top drug dealer is killed, or until a cartel-backed official loses an election or is otherwise forced out of power.
Jordan said the Carrillo Fuentes cartel could end up smuggling more drugs because it no longer has to worry about fighting off its rivals.
"But the Tijuana cartel won't go away, because it has too many lieutenants," he said. "While it is busy reorganizing, the Carrillo Fuentes cartel will get stronger, and so will the Gulf cartel under Osiel Cardenas."
Yes, I agree. Once people start loosing their jobs and the ability to find work becomes a struggle they will wake up and realize that America has become a third world country. Only problem is that it will be to late.
You'd think with the need for increased security at the border, there would have already been a change in drug traffic. Security seems to be about strip searching Americans at airports and not much more.
It almost sounds like a "let them eat cake" attitude. That's not going to last long.
I like that! King George the II. He is certainly acting like he is king.
Have you been to a colonia lately? They need water bottles because they build homes where there is no running water ---- a company here had some barrels clearly labeled "Toxic Waste" (but in English) stolen and later it was found they were being used in colonias to hold water.
It won't go away because they'll always find ways to bring that gunk in here. Can't get past the border patrol? No problem, dig 100 tunnels.
How can this Administration call Mexico our friend? Get real.
Yep, any way you look at it, this is an invasion of EPIC proportions and our leaders are actually encouraging more of it. They are playing with fire.
I don't think there's a dwelling for miles around here that doesn't have running water...maybe I'm wrong, or maybe the Colonia folks are making the rounds.
It's no secret almost every government official and many of the police in Mexico have ties to one of the drug cartels. Americans don't realize how serious a problem the drug trade is in Mexico. These people make the old Mafia look like wusses.
Every time we hear that, we laugh. Mexico is nothing but a corrupt, criminal country, run by rich dictators. And the people that live there don't have enough guts or drive to make it right.
Amazing isn't it? They can't do much to make their country a livable place so people will stay and not invade someone else's, but they're smart enough to build drug empires and cartels. A case of misplaced energy.
This is why I think the population of illegal aliens is much much higher than the 8 million estimate that the census bureau has reported. I suspect the number of illegals here is in excess of 20 million and the government is suppressing the real number because it would alarm the country.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.