Posted on 07/14/2007 7:23:33 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
Robert Divine, former chief counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told the Rotary Club of Chattanooga Thursday that there needs to be a multifaceted approach to addressing the immigration issue in America.
Mr. Divine served part of his time with the agency as acting director and also as acting deputy director. He said that people will find a way to come to the United States since there is a demand for work here and a supply of workers south of the border.
"We do not have the will and the resources, in my opinion, to put toward a border … that can on its own prevent (illegal immigration) from happening," he said at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Mr. Divine was appointed by President Bush as chief counsel of the immigration services and served in that capacity in Washington, D.C., from July 2004 until November 2006.
Mr. Divine, who now works in Chattanooga and leads the immigration group for law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, said it is essential to have mechanisms for employment verification and allowances for some people to stay in America.
"I've never heard anybody who's in charge of immigration enforcement ever say that they thought that they could deport 10 million people," he said.
The U.S. Senate last month prevented an immigration reform bill from moving ahead in the chamber.
Many opponents of the bill rejected its path to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the United States.
Mr. Divine said that the debate over amnesty for illegal immigrants is really "a pretext for nativism and protectionism."
"It's not really about 'the law must be the law,' " he said.
After hearing the talk, Bill Chapin, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., said Mr. Divine's "discussion showed the complexity of the issue."
"There is no single answer for such an emotional and complicated situation," he said.
E-mail Michael Davis at michaeld@timesfreepress.com
Mr. Divine said that the debate over amnesty for illegal immigrants is really "a pretext for nativism and protectionism."
Robert Divine works with a "Multicultural Center" in our county, also...helping "immigrants" when they have need of legal advise about their "legal" status...
It’s not challenging: slice through the red tape that legal immigrants have to go through, build a physical barrier to prevent the invasion, cutoff all benefits to illegals, institute a high tariff on all money transfers to Mexico, and end birthright citizenship for those born to illegals.
That’s comprehensive reform.
I haven't heard ANYBODY in ANY responsible position suggest we are going to identify, round up and deport 10 million people.
It's not going to happen.
F*ck Mr. Divine and the horse he rode in on.
“”It’s not really about ‘the law must be the law,’ “ he said.”
Yessir, it is.
Pingy
India doesn't have a tenth our resources and could do the job.
Obviously Divine doesn't have the will to do what it takes to be an American. Can someone find him a suitible country to go bother.
I always wondered what happened to Hugh Grant’s hooker.
I agree. This needs to be done as issue of national security if nothing else.
cutoff all benefits to illegals,
It depends on the benefits.
We're not going to turn people away from emergency rooms who are in need of care regardless of their diplomatic status.....it's probably not in our interest to ban children from school etc.
institute a high tariff on all money transfers to Mexico,
No decent people are going to agree to place a "tariff" on money transfers from people trying help their impoverished relatives in other countries.
and end birthright citizenship for those born to illegals.
Your suggesting changing a law more than a 100 years old enacted to help slaves and their descendants.
That’s comprehensive reform.
That's not going to happen.
I think I scraped this guy of my shoe while I was cutting the grass.
There, fixed it.
I agree with that (but go easy on the horse). Mr. Divine is nothing if not annoying as hell.
"We do not have the will and the resources, in my opinion, to put toward a border … that can on its own prevent (illegal immigration) from happening,"
Mr. Divine said that the debate over amnesty for illegal immigrants is really "a pretext for nativism and protectionism."
"It's not really about 'the law must be the law,' " he said..
This guy was an ‘Immigration” lawyer in Chatt before he went to DC..and is back at his old job...
He is the lawyer for several “Multicultural Centers” around the country...They send their “counselors” to learn some “immigration” law/rights of illegal aliens etc in a “school/class” in Texas...
A naturalized American citizen from India, Daniel Silverman, went there for “training”.....Mr silverman told me when I went there under cover (he didnt know that I was the opposition) that sometimes the “immigrants” have to pay $20,000 and up for a lawyer (sob, sob) and Divine and he were strong-arming the local tax-payers..
They were trying to get our city council and our county council to give them big funds...Own town leaders were enthused for a short time but there’s been some big falling out the last two weeks...the money may not grow on trees here like it seems to have in other states...What a con...
That was the intention.
Decades later a series of bad court decisions resulted in the re-interpretation of the clause in ways rejected by the folks who'd written it.
There is no "law" in the sense of a statute that creates "birthright citizenship". In fact, the whole business rests on nothing more than reversible court decisions.
If that happens, there are millions of Americans who will find that they are no longer citizens and must return to their native country somewhere else.
Do you feel lucky? If you want citizenship you'd best go ask Congress to pass a law pinning it down for you.
Here’s another member of the Bush team with that famous “Can’t Do” spirit. About the only thing this bunch of limp bureaucrats can do is cash their fat paychecks, provided by the working stiffs of this country who would get fired from their jobs if they had this lousy attitude.
Oh, that’s funny. There is also the Divine from Pink Flamingos. Not a savory bunch.
Multifaceted= comprehensive
“Multi-faceted approach”.
Incompetent Managementspeak for “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. FGS.
Can we spray Washington DC and start over again?
Excellent piece of inof, muawiyah.
Any links for that info?
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