The Politically-Timed Immigration Raids

Michelle Malkin.com ^ | 4/20/06 | Michelle Malkin

[Pessimist]

I speak regularly with dedicated men and women who work for the Department of Homeland Security, and especially agents from across the country who work for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I can tell you based on my reporting over the last five years that the Bush administration's belated efforts to look tough on immigration enforcement at worksites amount to a cynical, politically timed effort to salvage the White House's guest worker program dreams and schemes. I'm referring to this story linked prominently today on Drudge and spread elsewhere:

[pikachu]

Until some personnel managers and COOs/CEOs get jail time PLUS BIG PERSONAL FINES, nothing will change.

[Roccus]

That will never happen. Forget about tipping points, we're already over the edge.

[P-40]

Check out the table too.

That is the same table that does not recognize that INS ceased investigations in March 2003 because it ceased to exist. The original chart has a footnote to that effect.

[glorgau]

cynical, politically timed effort

Transparently so. It makes the blood boil.

[rhombus]

That is the same table that does not recognize that INS ceased investigations in March 2003 because it ceased to exist. The original chart has a footnote to that effect.

So you are saying the production of this chart is a "politically timed event" on Malkin's part? Is there more data that needs to be prsented?

[NavVet]

Can some kind person cut and paste this Michelle Malkin article and the one in which she hits back at the Dummies. and mail it to me. I'm in Kabul, and while I can get FR to load, thankfully, I haven't been able to open MichelleMalkin.com since I've been here.

[glorgau]

real reasons for the bust

[Timeout]

POLITICALLY-TIMED IMMIGRATION RAIDS By Michelle Malkin
April 20, 2006 09:05 AM

I speak regularly with dedicated men and women who work for the Department of Homeland Security, and especially agents from across the country who work for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I can tell you based on my reporting over the last five years that the Bush administration's belated efforts to look tough on immigration enforcement at worksites amount to a cynical, politically timed effort to salvage the White House's guest worker program dreams and schemes. I'm referring to this story linked prominently today on Drudge and spread elsewhere:

Federal immigration authorities rounded up more than 1,000 illegal immigrants at dozens of sites and charged nine individuals of the firm that employed them, federal law enforcement officials announced. Seven current and former managers of IFCO Systems, which has offices in several states, were arrested and charged in connection with the employment of illegal immigrants, said U.S. Attorney Glenn Suddaby in Albany, New York.

Suddaby said two lower level employees were also charged in the case.

Wednesday's action against IFCO Systems -- an industry leader in the manufacture of wooden pallets, crates and containers -- came as Homeland Security and Justice Department officials prepared to announce steps to toughen internal enforcement of the nation's immigration laws.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Bush administration officials and a federal prosecutor will appear at the agency's Washington headquarters Thursday. They will announce the new strategy aimed at employers and disclose the results of the enforcement actions targeting IFCO Systems.

Customs officials said agents made more than a thousand arrests in nearly 40 locations including Houston, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; and Albany, New York.

Well, this is all sounds good and tough...until you look at the Bush administration's record for the last several years. Don't be fooled.

For those covering DHS Secretary Chertoff's press conference today, ask him to explain this:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/employerstats.jpg">

As Rubenstein points out, this means that from 1997 to 2003, worksite arrests under the Bush administration fell by a factor of some 97 percent since 1997--and plunged by another 2/3rds by 2004.

Where have they been all this time?

As for getting tough on employers, Rubenstein also notes these stunning statistics: "[O]f the 3,064 workforce investigations closed [in 2004], fines were imposed in just 3 (three!) of them – one out of one thousand. . By contrast, fines were imposed in about 11 percent of closed investigations in 1997."

Notices of intent to fine employers:

1997: 865 1999: 417 2000: 178 2001: 100 2003: 162 2004: 3

Based on my reporting and interviews with ICE agents, I can also tell you that this week's dog-and-pony show will result in very few of the arrested illegal aliens actually being deported. Despite what the administration claims, "catch and release" is still the order of the day.

Just ask local and federal law enforcement officers in the Galveston, Texas, area, where in January of this year, following a collaborative effort between local police and area ICE agents, some 62 illegal aliens were caught at a day labor site...and released after local open-borders activists from LULAC kicked up a fuss and Washington ordered its local ICE agents to cave in. It happens every day.

More Bush-era catch-and-release background:here and here and here. and here. Must-read from indefatigable deportation analyst Juan Mann here.

You want "comprehensive immigration reform?" Then stop talking about making existing problems worse by piling on a new guest worker/amnesty program.

Clean our own house first.

[OKIEDOC]

Well duh!

Who would of thunk that these raids on illegal law breakers was spontaneous.

Both parties are playing the American public for suckers.

No Amnesty of any type.

Please don't sell my birthright citizenship for $2,000.00 dollars so Murdering Teddy Boy Kennedy can feel good about having to face Saint Peter and being cast into the fires of Hell.

[Timeout]

I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU
by Michelle Malkin

[I'll try to include links on this one. T.]

You know who you all are.

And if you think I'm going to stop blogging/writing/making a living because you've plastered my family's private home address, phone numbers, and photos and maps of my neighborhood all over the Internet to further your manufactured outrage and pathetic coddling of a bunch of lying, anti-troops punks at UC Santa Cruz...

...you better think again.

***

Oh, and here's just a reminder of the kind of poor, "peaceful," innocent "children" at Santa Cruz engaged in throwing rocks(http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1682911.php), slashing tires(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/12/BAG3KI7INT1.DTL), and running military recruiters off their campus(http://www.google.com/search?q=santa+cruz+recruiters&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official):

Click here(http://mattfitt.com/gallery2/v/Activism/AntiRecruitUCSC/FuckTheArmy.jpg.html).

And here(http://mattfitt.com/gallery2/v/Activism/AntiRecruitUCSC/Welcome.jpg.html).

That's what this is all about--not me. Them.

***

[P-40]

So you are saying the production of this chart is a "politically timed event" on Malkin's part?

It would not be so on her part, nor was it the intention of whoever created the chart because they did clearly state what the data did and did not cover. She probably just did not see the original chart and footnote. For whatever reason, the footnote is generally not with the chart.

[rhombus]

She probably just did not see the original chart and footnote. For whatever reason, the footnote is generally not with the chart.

Can you point us all to this original chart? Is what is being reported essentually true or untrue?

[sinkspur]

Anybody got an Impeach Bush bumper sticker?

I'm going to predict you get booted before Bush gets impeached. Wanna bet?

[P-40]

Is what is being reported essentually true or untrue?

It is both true and not true. Call it a Michael Moore moment. The chart is correct in what it reports but incorrect because of what is left out.

Let me search for the original report.

[Coop]

I've got a "Four More Years!" sticker you're welcome to have.

[MineralMan]

"Anybody got an Impeach Bush bumper sticker?
"

Anybody got a Ban Trolls bumper sticker?

[groovejedi]

or a "Bush for Pres - For Life" sticker? hahaha j/k

[kellynla]

BTTT

[tobyhill]

I agree with Michelle Malkin but who cares if it's politically motivated, it just means that Bush has begun to hear the will of the people so why knock it? Keep the pressure on and there will be more but if someone is just going to Bash Bush for doing something then he might just say the hell with everyone because it's damned if you, damned if you don't!