Posted on 06/14/2007 11:16:52 AM PDT by kristinn
A spokeman for the Bush administration sent an e-mail to Jim Robinson and myself confirming the authenticity of a post on Free Republic this afternoon regarding the immigration bill currently before the Senate as having been posted on behalf of the White House.
The spokesman, Nicholas Thompson, works for the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. The Politico reported yesterday that Thompson and Kerrie Rushton, associate directors in the Office of Strategic Initiatives who work under Karl Rove, would be engaging the blogosphere on the immigration bill.
Thompson's post is on the thread titled Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill, a vanity posted by philman_36. Thompson posted at comment #53.
Thompson's e-mail to Free Republic included a brief introduction and the text of his posted comment:
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I just posted a response to the post "Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill."
The White House appreciates the opportunity to respond on Free Republic.
Response:
I would like to point out that the Secretary is authorized to reduce or mitigate penalities against employers who in good faith are trying to comply with the law. Certainly, we understand that not all employers knowingly hire illegal immigrants; this will remain the case, especially before the bill’s new secure documentation requirements are fully phased in. We do not seek to wrongly penalize honest employers who unknowingly hire illegal immigrants, therefore we reserve the right to reduce or mitigate their penalties if the employer can show good faith compliance in following the law.
For those employers who do knowingly hire illegal immigrants, please know that we intend to penalize these employers strongly, and the Administration has already stepped up these penalties in the last couple of years. For example, a 2005 program, “Operation Rollback,” assessed $15,000,000 in civil fines to employers, an amount greater than the sum of administrative fines collected in the previous eight years and was the largest worksite enforcement penalty in US history. In the first quarter of FY07, criminal and civil forfeitures have totaled $26,700,000 for employers.
As a reminder of what’s in the bill, fines for hiring an illegal worker are $5,000 maximum per illegal worker for the first offense, $10,000 maximum per illegal worker for the second, $25,000 maximum per illegal worker for the third , and $75,000 maximum per illegal worker for the fourth. In addition, the bill increases the maximum criminal penalty for a pattern or practice of unlawful hiring twenty-five-fold, from $3,000 to $75,000, and would impose a prison term of up to six months. This represents a significant increase in fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Nicholas Thompson
White House Office of Strategic Initiatives
This makes sense. They got the whole immigration reform bill from me. I posted it on a FR thread about a year ago....as a sick joke.
Remind me to use the /sarcasm tag from now on.
I’m overjoyed at the thought of all the DUmmies who are gonna have to double their meds after reading an official confirmation that a Whitehouse spokesman posted here. LMAO!
If the bill passes, there will be no Illegal Immigrants for companies to hire? right?
Can I say (and fellow FReepers chime in please - as if you wouldn’t, LOL)
1) BUILD THE FENCE
2) DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS
3) FINE / PROSECUTE EMPLOYERS BREAKING THE LAW
4) INCREASE BORDER PATROL
5) CONTINUE LEGAL IMMIGRATION
This is the job we expect you to do. Thank you.”
Ditto!!
“....that American mice won’t eat.”....LOLOL
marking
Yep,
If the White House was expecting a friendly atmosphere here on this particular issue...
I hope the backlash hits these folks right square back in between the eyes...
The mere effort to regurgitate this POS bill demonstrates a very deliberate effort to hold the American people in contempt...
You guys (Administration/Congress) are really pushing back the Constitutional envelope on this one...
Push this garbage some more, and you and the Republican party leadership can just go right ahead and kiss 2008 goodbye!!!
The democrats are just going to coast right through, again...
Then talk to me about Immigration Reform!
1-20-2009
I campaigned very hard and spent a lot of money twice to help elect Bush. I don’t think I have ever been as disappointed politically in a winning candidate. I’m in Marsha Blackburn’s district. My feelings are mirrored by every conservative I know here....many of whom are some of the nation’s biggest donors.
Granted, he scored some hits and was stellar after 9-11, but the dogs just kept coming and his desire to make mexican illegals a plurality or majority in my country that my ancestors have lived and fought in since Jamestown makes my blood boil...livid is the right word.
All I want the next 16 months from this outfit is to pack their bags and not do anymore damage and pray to God we can get someone who understands the base and the culture war and at the same times stave off the Democrats who represent their base and what they stand all too well.
Coulda been a contender.
Remember those pictures of Socks the Cat in exile in the Clinton White House basement?
Just goes to show how little the White House apparently understands the blogsphere. I guess we were supposed to bow down reverently when addressed by our overlords.
Instead, the White House is discovering that, when you dip your toes into the blogsphere, the aquatic life snaps back.
Possibly not much longer if the "backroom dealers" can think of a way to stop it.
We need more than the President’s ear.
He needs a change of heart.
For example, a 2005 program, “Operation Rollback,” assessed $15,000,000 in civil fines to employers, an amount greater than the sum of administrative fines collected in the previous eight years and was the largest worksite enforcement penalty in US history. In the first quarter of FY07, criminal and civil forfeitures have totaled $26,700,000 for employers.
IOW, they have are addressing action and enforcement.
Agree. If they did have, the wall would already be built. How on earth can the govt be trusted to enforce new immigration laws, when so many already in place have been ignored and getting us to where we are now. Were the laws IN PLACE enforced, we wouldn’t have the illegals here.
did you politely tell them that Kennedy is the major sponsor of this bill? Did you them that, most of those calling their senators putting on the heat are conservatives?
For example, a 2005 program, “Operation Rollback,” assessed $15,000,000 in civil fines to employers, an amount greater than the sum of administrative fines collected in the previous eight years and was the largest worksite enforcement penalty in US history. In the first quarter of FY07, criminal and civil forfeitures have totaled $26,700,000 for employers.
IOW, they are addressing action and enforcement.
ping of interest
Nicholas, make sure the President sees this -—
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y8WdFHK-faM
After he has done the job that his oath requires, I will gladly remove it. Yes, Nicholas, they do need stinking badges to get in here. They get those stinking badges by waiting in line.
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