DeLay criticizes Houston's policy on illegal immigrants

Houston Chronicle ^ | August 5, 2005 | EDWARD HEGSTROM

[Cincinatus' Wife]

He favors idea of withholding federal funding from cities that offer 'sanctuary'

SUGAR LAND - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay criticized the city of Houston's "sanctuary" policy toward illegal immigrants in a speech Thursday night.

Speaking to a packed house of Fort Bend County Republican faithful, DeLay said he supported the concept behind legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., that would withhold federal funding from cities such as Houston that refuse to enforce immigration law.

"It greatly concerns me that the police chief in Houston, Texas, has created a sanctuary in Houston by announcing that he is not going to enforce our laws," the Sugar Land Republican said, in response to a question about Tancredo's bill.

"That is unacceptable, and we hope to address it through Tancredo's legislation or other legislation."

Since 1992, a Houston Police Department policy has officially forbidden officers from enforcing immigration laws in most cases.

Mayor Bill White has said he supports continuing the policy, because he believes immigration is a federal matter and he wants to free police up to protect the city from violent criminals.

Police in Katy also have a court-ordered policy forbidding them from enforcing immigration laws. The order came as the result of a federal lawsuit filed after a 1994 police operation to pick up day laborers.

DeLay, who is seen as a key player on upcoming immigration reform legislation in Congress, said he would support a guest-worker program that would allow immigrants to come legally to the United States and then go home. But he said the government needs to step up enforcement of immigration laws first.

"Before Congress takes any significant legislation, we must secure our nation's borders," he said.

Two major proposals

Two major pieces of immigration are expected to be considered when Congress returns in September.

One proposal, sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., would allow some illegal immigrants to work toward becoming legal residents and then citizens of the United States.

Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyle, R-Ariz., propose a tougher bill that would allow illegal immigrants to become guest workers, meaning they would have to go home after working here three years or more.

Cornyn and Kyle also propose tougher enforcement, including increased patrols at the border and new requirements on employers seeking to hire workers.

DeLay indicated that he would support legislation even stricter than Cornyn's. He does not believe illegal immigrants already in the country should qualify, and he does not believe guest workers should be allowed to bring their families.

Asked if he would support McCain-Kennedy, he said: "It's not going to do very well in the House, I'll guarantee that."

Places for detainees

DeLay noted that until now, even the federal government has not rounded up illegal immigrants in U.S. cities, because federal agents had no place to detain them. But he said that is changing under the new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security.

He encouraged local police to round up illegal immigrants, and promised that the federal government will find places to house them.

"If you pick up 50 or 100 of them, you can call the National Guard," he said. "Put them in tents."

He also said he did not support educating illegal immigrants or having their U.S.-born children become automatically U.S. citizens. But he said those would be harder to repeal.

DeLay also said he strongly supports legal immigration, which he says makes this country stronger.

He said immigration is a top issue among his constituents.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

House Majority Leader Tom Delay

About Tom***.....A native Texan, Tom DeLay was born along the banks of the Rio Grande River in the historic border city of Laredo on April 8, 1947. During his childhood, the DeLay family lived in South America for a number of years. His father's career in the oil and gas industry required several job postings to Venezuela's rural interior, and the DeLay family made their home in small towns near the oil fields.

DeLay's years in Venezuela were a formative political experience. His family lived through the turbulence and uncertainty of three revolutions. Two of these events were violent, and neighboring townspeople died at the hands of marauding revolutionaries. DeLay points to this early exposure to political violence as the source of his lifelong "passion for freedom."......***

[GeronL]

Such a law will be over turned by a leftist judge who considers within his power to write the federal budget, "its in the Constitution somewhere I guess..." /sarcasm

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Then let's get it on!

[Nipplemancer]

it'll be overturned by a leftist judge deciding that immigration laws are violations of civil rights.

[Mo1]

He favors idea of withholding federal funding from cities that offer 'sanctuary'

I like the idea .. but I doubt it will get through the Senate

[balch3]

Tom is a great American, but he needs to be careful not to undercut President Bush on this. Let's not forget that the RATS are the real enemy. If this breaks down into intraparty strife over immigaration, they will be the big winners.

[Scribbz]

They are breaking into our house (USA) they (the illegals) should be treated as such!

[international american]

I'm with you. Defeat is not in my vocabulary!

[international american]

Bush dug his own grave, and he better wise up and fast.

[GeronL]

The true enemy is the false ideaology of liberalism (as its commonly know - leftism as it truly is)

[SealSeven]

Robbing a bank is a federal offense also. That doesn't stop law enforcement from arresting a robber.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

There is growing concern about this across the country.

August 5, 2005 - Virginia - Lingamfelter speaks against work centers***...........In October, 26 day laborers were arrested for loitering at the 7-Eleven at Longview Drive and U.S. 1 where they waited for work.

At the time of the arrests, police said they had gotten complaints of public drunkenness, littering and people urinating in public.

The day laborers said they were arrested on the grounds of the Covenant Presbyterian Church, where they had permission to wait.

After the arrests, community leaders in Prince William County formed a task force to study the issue.

The task force recommended that a work center be established for the county's day laborers.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Sean T. Connaughton, R-at large, said the county does not support using county money to build or operate a day laborer work center.

Lingamfelter said immigration is a problem for the federal government, and localities should not be unduly burdened with building and operating day labor centers.

The federal government, Lingamfelter said, should better regulate immigration so there wouldn't be a problem.

"When you really look at this, this is symptomatic of a larger problem: 'Do we want our localities to be doing the federal government's job?' " Lingamfelter said.

Local money should be exempt from such considerations, Lingamfelter said.

"The truth of the matter is we need to spend our tax dollars guarding our borders, not building day care for day laborers," Lingamfelter said.

The Herndon Planning Commission voted down the proposal for a work center in the town.

The Herndon Town Council is expected to vote on the $170,000 facility Aug. 16, the Associated Press reported.***

[RoyalsFan]

So you want the majority of republicans to just shup up?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

August 5, 2005 - AP: Immigrants clash with locals on Long Island***...For more than a decade, immigrants from Mexico or Central America have been drawn to Long Island by the prospect of jobs. Many stand on street corners in Farmingville, waiting for contractors, landscapers and others to offer them a day's work at about $10 an hour. Then at night they go back to their illegally crowded single-family homes.

The immigrants, many of whom are thought to have entered the country illegally, have been a source of tension among longtime residents since at least the late 1990s, but things have gotten worse this summer — so bad that the head of the Mexican Consulate in New York City said Farmingville was "clearly a red zone after the Arizona border" in the abuse of immigrants....................***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bush Interview: "This should not be an amnesty program"

[ArcadeQuarters]

Nice to see someone on the national level who wants to enforce the law and stop the flood of illegal Democrats.

[ncountylee]

"Before Congress takes any significant legislation, we must secure our nation's borders," he said.

Oh my God...He gets it!

[balch3]

I want republicans to show some consideration for the Presidednt, who is dealing with quite a few critical issues (like a war) and needs members of his party working with him, not against him. He already has the other party working against him night and day to try to bring him down. No doubt I will get called a Bushbot shortly.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

GOP courts consensus on border policy (There's a lot to chew on)

[babygene]

"but he needs to be careful not to undercut President Bush on this"

What a stupid thing to say... If Bush is wrong, he needs to be challenged on it. He's not the G. D. king...