GREG GROSS / Union-Tribune
An anti-immigration protester carries a sign describing his sentiments.
Posted on 07/05/2006 4:46:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN DIEGO – Rep. Brian Bilbray called Wednesday for increased immigration enforcement well beyond the border, but local law enforcement leaders said they could not take on a federal mandate to arrest suspected illegal immigrants.
Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, made his comments during a hearing held at the Border Patrol station here within site of the U.S.-Mexico border, one of several such sessions Republican leaders in the House of Representatives plan to hold around the country to focus more attention on the immigration issue.
Bilbray said the recent debates on illegal immigration show that not enough has been done to find and remove illegal immigrants.
“The United States has not been serious enough about our national sovereignty, defending our neighborhoods,” Bilbray said. “The problem is coming across the border and not being regulated under a mandate by our federal Constitution.”
However, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said the answer to enforcing immigration law could not rest on them.
“As our governor has said, it is our belief that national security is the responsibility of the federal government and cannot be passed off to local and state governments,” Kolender said.
Baca agreed, but noted that if local law enforcement agencies get involved in enforcing immigration laws, they should do so voluntarily and be reimbursed by Washington for the costs.
“Local law enforcement cannot accept another unfunded mandate or any other kind of mandate when it comes to immigration enforcement,” Baca said.
The 3½-hour hearing was preceded by demonstrations by rival groups of protesters outside the gates of the Border Patrol station.
Aside from Kolender and Baca, the other invited speakers included Border Patrol officials, an immigration control activist and an academic who has studied the issue. Only invited speakers were allowed to address the panel.
About 25 anti-immigration protesters and roughly 50 immigration rights demonstrators faced off with each other from opposite sides of the street, separated by Border Patrol agents and San Diego police officers.
The competing demonstrations lasted roughly 90 minutes and were peaceful. There was some minor heckling from the anti-immigration side, with the other side countering with music from a mariachi band.
The congressional field hearing on the effect of illegal immigration on national security was one of several nationwide hearings GOP House leaders plan to hold before negotiating a compromise with the Senate on immigration reform legislation.
The two houses of Congress are divided over what approach to take on the issue. The Senate plan would beef up border enforcement, offer a path to legalization to millions of undocumented immigrants and create a guest worker program. The House plan focuses on enforcement.
Wednesday's hearing was led by Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, who is chairman of the subcommittee on international terrorism and nonproliferation.
Democrats initially considered boycotting the hearings, but instead decided to treat them as a platform to assail what they see as an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform, said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, who attended Wednesday's session in San Diego.
A similar hearing was held Wednesday morning in Philadelphia. Another hearing is to be held Friday in Laredo, Texas.
An anti-immigration protester carries a sign describing his sentiments.
Support EXTRACTION!
BRIAN BTTT!
ping
BS. Too busy pulling over people going a few miles over the limit 'cause they're late to church.
SD Channel 7 news coverage at 4 pm. was total crap. Enrique Moron must now be working for Ch. 7 as a producer or editor because that was basically his story. What garbage reporting. I just called and left a scathing message on their comment line:
619-231-3939, call now and demand that they report the full story on their next newscast.
Hearings were outstanding and lots of govt. witnesses testified about the war going on at the border with drug cartels, smugglers and potential terrorists daily exploiting our open borders. Bilbray talked about employer enforcement and how illegals are plentiful at the Encinitas Home Depot and how BP should gather them up there instead of looking for them at San Onofre and Temecula checkpoints (score!)
Best speakers on our side were:
1. J.D. Hayworth (should be our next President)
2. Brian Bilbray
3. Ed Royce
4. Dana Rohrbacher
5. Darell Issa
The Democrats were disgusting for the most part. Making fun of border security and the hearings. The Hispanic Congressman sounded just like Enrique when he asked Andy Ramirez if he was in favor of a plan to put illegals in "concentration camps" in AZ. We boo'd and heckled him after that comment. Another racist Mexican tries to skew the debate!
Kolender was absolutely pitiful. Said border security is not his job (federal issue) and said the solutiong lies with working with Mexico. He was horrible. He was the only witness to testify out of about 13 that got boo'd. The guy is obviously corrupt, or clueless, or both!
The tide has turned, we will get border security real soon and the open borders pukes have had their day. They got their asses kicked today, both inside and outside the hearings. Outstanding Minuteman turnout! We ruled the hearings inside and swarmed Enrique and his mariachi band outside! Score, score, score!
Full report soon.
Jeff Schwilk
www.SanDiegoMinutemen.com
760-525-1655
Can you BELIEVE this passing of the buck. Give me a freaking break---It's your job to enforce the law!!!
I live a few miles from a the city of Norcross. It has literally become little Mexico. When you read about crime in Gwinnett 9 times out of 10 its within the Norcross area. I can promise you those arrested are not named Mike Jones. The Dunkin Donuts is the place the day laborers go and the Norcross police are parked while they have their coffee and donuts every morning. But let me tell you, Do Not Be 12 hours Late getting your tags renewed. Yep, those Norcross cops are on the job checking those tags, while you are stopped at red lights and issuing those 150.00 tickets!!!! Yup, it just makes me feel so much better those Norcross police are protecting me from my tags. Never mind the gangs, and the fact that it is downright scary to be there past 8:00 pm.
I watched part of it earlier on CSPAN.
As it ended, CSPAN said it would re-air at 9PM EDT
Yo, I watched this hearing early this morning on c-span.
The rust of the country needed to hear what is gong on in San Diego re the illegals and the border situation.
As I have said, we are at war and the border is another arm of the War on Terror.
For those who brush this off as comments from Border Bots,
Well to you open border bots, I am a supporter of Bush and have been battling the third party type for a long time.
And for those who make sport of this siding with one side then the other for lack of nothing else to do need to get real.
We can win the battle in the Middle East but loose the war at the Border.
We need to focus and win both.
Apparently, some people must need to live it, in order to realize the seriousness.
I wonder which other federal laws they don't enforce?
You said it Onyx.
Americans should do the work Mexicans don't want to do and that is go in and do something with the corrupt Mexican Government and clean it up.
That's a cite for sore eyes.
"That's a cite for sore eyes."
dr one that makes your eyes sore!
Local law enforcement can do anything we want or allow them to do but they must be paid. Federal reimbursement must accompany a federal mandate.
What you said.
Yep. Like getting their car (parked in front of their house) rammed by an elderly illegal with no driver's license or insurance, or watching their neighborhood schools turned into 3rd world ghettos terrorized by untracable gangs, who shoot out neighbors' picture windows with bbguns.
Our neighbor was killed walking home from the grocery store early one morning a few months ago, by 2 drunken gang bangers driving home ~ crossed the road, hit the woman, pinning her to the fence. This all just within a 4 block radius.
You're right ~ it isn't real to those who don't live with it.
Horrible. Absolutely horrible.
You are correct doodlelady. Just another day in the hood.
Those in fly over country just sit back in another calm lazy hazy day while other Americans who work hard, pay taxes live in battle zones that could be like Bagdad or the Gaza strip.
The other week 3 police officers had their heads cut off
just south of of you and I.
Yup, we support Bush and battle the third party type and are called Border Bots by the smug.
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