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Posted on 10/18/2011 12:04:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Minnesota Congresswomen and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has become the latest politician to call for an impenetrable fence along the entire length of the border with Mexico. "President Obama has failed the American people by failing to secure the southern border," said Bachmann. "I will secure that border and that will be Job One."
Statements like that may get some attention, but they are not practical. Don't take our word for it; take Rick Perry's.
The Texas governor has been called a lot of things, but he's hardly a mushy liberal. Yet even this tough Texan sneers at calls for a Berlin Wall-style border fence spanning hundreds of miles from Brownsville to El Paso.
Two reasons: We can't afford it, and we don't need it.
The cost of a barrier like that would be staggering, certainly in the billions. Bachmann and others are silent about how they would pay for it.
Moreover, it is unnecessary. The Texas-Mexico border includes many miles of desert that are either lightly populated or devoid of any human presence. Illegal immigrants don't cross there. They make their moves along urban corridors.
Perry knows this because he is the governor of Texas. He knows the issue is more nuanced - like his support for in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.
Secure the border? Absolutely - but in an intelligent way that puts our resources where they will have the most impact.
Voters should be wary of sound bites from candidates that fire up special-interest groups but lack logic. The next president will need real ideas, not gimmicks, to solve the challenges facing this nation.
“AZ and AL have passed tough enforcement laws and it is having a measurable effect. The illegals are leaving.”
They sure are leaving. Coming to a neighborhood near you. Where do you think they’re going? Just poof! They’re gone?
Self-deporting to where? You’re sitting in Virginia, for God’s sake. I would bet there isn’t a documented housekeeper or gardner for the rich in the state! Stop pointing fingers. I repeat. No one sneaks into Texas today just to pay in state tuition three years from now.
What is your solution?
“The opinion differs from parts of the Arizona law now stalled in courts in that it does not require officers to check on immigration status, only authorizes officers to do so. Cuccinelli issued the opinion in response to a request from a Virginia state delegate, according to the Washington Post.
“We issued an opinion at the request of one of our legislators, addressing the ability of law enforcement officials in Virginia to make arrests for violations of federal immigration law,” Cuccinelli said in an interview with Fox News. “And the distinction we drew was they clearly have arrest authority when there’s a criminal violation of the federal immigration laws, but that it is not clear that they have arrest authority when there’s a mere civil violation of the federal immigration laws.”
So. If you can’t arrest for a “mere” civil violation, how do you know they’re illegal until they commit a crime?
Wow, wonderfully stated! May I occasionally copy this, giving you credit as the author? Brava!
Certainly.
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Those advocating expanded fencing already have a model they can look to: a fence the federal government built more than a decade ago along a 14-mile-stretch in San Diego, Calif., that borders Tijuana, Mexico.
To those on the U.S. side, the fences in urban areas between Mexico and the United States are a symbol of security. Very few sections are painted or adorned in any way.
To many Mexicans, though, the fence is either an insult to be covered up, or a business opportunity. In Nogales, Sonora, shopkeepers say they are offended that the United States built a wall between them and their twin city, Nogales, Ariz. In Tijuana, long stretches of the fence are covered in advertisements or posters. Another section has crosses and coffins nailed to it, in memory of those who died trying to immigrate.
And at Imperial Beach, which is split at the border by giant steel pillars sunk into the sand, a movie crew shoots what is billed as a “Spanish-language, science-fiction love story” with the fence as a backdrop... immigration politics as entertainment.
Before the fence was built, all that separated that stretch of Mexico from California was a single strand of cable that demarcated the international border.
Back then, Border Patrol agent Jim Henry says he was overwhelmed by the stream of immigrants who crossed into the United States illegally just in that sector.
"It was an area that was out of control," Henry says. "There were over 100,000 aliens crossing through this area a year."
Today, Henry is assistant chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector. He says apprehensions here are down 95 percent, from 100,000 a year to 5,000 a year, largely because the single strand of cable marking the border was replaced by double — and in some places, triple — fencing.
The first fence, 10 feet high, is made of welded metal panels. The second fence, 15 feet high, consists of steel mesh, and the top is angled inward to make it harder to climb over. Finally, in high-traffic areas, there's also a smaller chain-link fence. In between the two main fences is 150 feet of "no man's land," an area that the Border Patrol sweeps with flood lights and trucks, and soon, surveillance cameras.
"Here in San Diego, we have proven that the border infrastructure system does indeed work," Henry says. "It is highly effective."
What nonsense. No computer system - and that's what E-Verify is - ever has its flaws "corrected and is accurate" until it has been used for the purpose intended for a period of time. A certain amount of testing can take place before implementation of a system, but thorough testing and debugging can only take place with actual use, especially with a large, nationwide system such as E-Verify.
The more Perry talks on key issues, the ridiculous he sounds.
Copy away. Anybody and Everybody.
I don’t need credit.
I need a good President. And that’s Perry.
Thanks
That was to keep people in, not keep people out.
Of the walls meant to keep people out, I can think of just two. The Maginot Line and the Great Wall of China.
Wow, what a massive use of imminent domain.
I hope you don’t have a problem with governmental use of it.
Yes, they are. It’s called ‘overstaying your tourist visa’.
The cost would be cheap compared to the costs of illegal immigration.
However, prioritizing the area’s to be interdicted would be smart. Start with the highest traffic areas first, then, as the infiltration traffic moves (and it will), build more minefields, er, fence sections in the new “high traffic” areas.
That is easy for you to say.
Anyone who is in desperate need of a job and finds one only to find that they are kicked out of the e-verify system wrongly is devastated.
It takes months to get your info corrected because there is a backlog at the Social Security office and the SS Budget is being stretched.
They still have problems. Did you read the report?
After how many years?
E-Verify is effecting Americans more than illegals because the system it has been said does not catch 50% of them.
Perry is a lot smarter than people are giving him credit for.
Just because there are candidates out there that can speak like a car salesman (Romney), speak like they will spend billions and billions of dollars over 10-15 years to build a fence over Americans private property - lakes - 1200 mile river - cliffs - mountains - National Park - resorts (sounds nice Bachmann - except it will waste taxpayer money, won’t work & takes too long), speak like they want to not only build an Electrified Great Wall of China that would kill people and call it a joke does not mean they know what they are doing.
Perry may not be able to talk the talk with the above but
He walks the walks and knows what he speaks of.
Action speaks louder than words.
And Perry has been dealing with it pretty good with both hands tied behind his back. The others? No clue.
The problems with E-Verify will have to be corrected as it is utilized. One of the main problems is probably that the SS database is so fouled from the misuse of SS numbers by illegals that it will take time to clean it up.
The litany of ‘claimed’ problems can also be made for our justice system in general, and our immigration courts and agencies, and all for the same reasons: the millions of illegals who have overloaded, corrupted and generally screwed up the data and the workloads.
It will have to be cleaned up and the incessant whining and dissembling by groups who want no enforcement of immigration law will have to be ignored. What we need is a new administration and Congress that will ignore it and fix the problems.
Rick Perry has been part of the problem and he sure as heck will not be part of the solution based on his past and present stances on border and immigration law enforcement.
FR needs an enema soon to flush out the liberals.
Sounds like we got ourselves a single-issue voter, here. Unfortunately for you, being a conservative is more than just being against illegal immigration.
They are talking about this Rick Perry...
1. Pro-gun.
2. Pro-life.
3. Pro death penalty.
4. Global warming skeptic.
5. Pro-military veteran.
6. Pro-drilling.
7. Pro-business, regulatory reform.
8. Has the guts to call Social Security what it is.
9. Strong on 10th ammendment, limited Federal government.
10. Has been a strong supporter of Israel for decades.
Not to them. It gives them legitimacy. Those are things he should say but La Raza is an anti-American hate group that would like to take TX & CA “back” to Mexico. Speaking to them, especially as a governor of a state that has severe border issues gives them clout they don’t deserve.
Cindie
You're absolutely right. This may be an area where Cain needs to rethink his notion of leaving it to the states. As you've pointed out, it would leave it open to corruption.
But couldn’t the opposite also be said about supporters of Cain? They’re also “very loyal Freepers”. But I don’t believe anyone said he should, as governor, should build a fence. Arizona can’t afford to either but their governor took a very strong stance against illegal immigration. What about sanctuary cities? They’ve been banned in many states, why not TX? He’s been governor for quite some time.
Look, they all have their warts, the thing is each one of us has to conscientiously decide which warts we can live with. I understand he’s a crappy debater. But he’s been in politics for a long time & debating is a skill that can be learned & improved (that’s why high schools have debate clubs). Without a doubt this is the most important election in my lifetime. If Perry believes he’s the best person for the job then he should be doing all he can to improve his chances. He could hire a real debate coach (bet there are some great ones at TX universities).
One of my fears with him (and I have reservations about all of them) is that it will be so easy for the media to paint him as another dumb Texan. As the country will be paying attention at that point they’ll be watching closely and won’t be too hard to convince. Whether that’s fair or not doesn’t matter, it’s a political reality. Can he rise above it? Of course! But he’s a professional politician and has been for a couple of decades now. His political skills should be honed by now. I would certainly support him if he was the nominee.
Cindie
IS THIS BEING ENFORCED OR ARE THERE LOOPHOLES? ARE THEY TURNING A BLIND EYE TO BUSINESSES?
82R996 KCR-D
By: Riddle H.B. No. 1202
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of the offense of employing or contracting
with an unauthorized alien.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. The heading to Title 8, Penal Code, is amended to
read as follows:
TITLE 8. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE
ADMINISTRATION OF CERTAIN LAWS
SECTION 2. Title 8, Penal Code, is amended by adding Chapter
40 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 40. CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT OR CONTRACTS PROHIBITED UNDER
FEDERAL LAW
Sec. 40.01. DEFINITION. In this chapter, “unauthorized
alien” has the meaning assigned by 8 U.S.C. Section 1324a(h)(3).
Sec. 40.02. EMPLOYING OR CONTRACTING WITH UNAUTHORIZED
ALIEN. (a) A person commits an offense if the person
intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:
(1) employs an unauthorized alien;
(2) contracts for the performance of labor or other
work with an unauthorized alien; or
(3) contracts or subcontracts for the performance of
labor or other work with another person the actor knows will employ
or contract with an unauthorized alien to perform labor or other
work under the contract or subcontract.
(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony.
Sec. 40.03. EXCEPTIONS. It is an exception to the
application of Section 40.02 that the actor:
(1) employed or contracted with the unauthorized
alien, or entered into a contract or subcontract described by
Section 40.02(a)(3), for the purpose of obtaining labor or other
work to be performed exclusively or primarily at a single-family
residence in which the actor resides; or
(2) attempted to verify the unauthorized alien’s
immigration status or work authorization in a manner that is more
likely than not to produce a correct and reliable result concerning
an individual’s immigration status or work authorization and had no
knowledge of the unauthorized alien’s actual immigration status or
work authorization.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/html/HB01202I.htm
(Newser) – Under House Bill 1202, one of a number of proposed Texas bills that addresses illegal immigration, anyone who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” hires an illegal immigrant would face up to two years in jail and a fine as high as $10,000 ... unless, of course, he or she is just hiring that illegal immigrant to do housework or yardwork. As long as you’re hiring unauthorized immigrants “for the purpose of obtaining labor or other work to be performed exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence,” you’re in the clear.
It’s an exception that’s getting a lot of attention in Texas, a state that has yet to pass tough laws against illegal immigration like, say, Arizona’s. One state representative tells CNN the exception included on this particular bill, authored by state Rep. Debbie Riddle, is a good idea—because without it, “a large segment of the Texas population” would go to prison. The exception is intended to avoid “stifling the economic engine” in Texas, Riddle’s chief of staff told the Texas Tribune last week.
“Rick Perry has been part of the problem and he sure as heck will not be part of the solution based on his past and present stances on border and immigration law enforcement.”
Did you read the article?
Perry has a tougher stance on border and immigration law enforcement than any of the other candidates and that is a fact.
He has actually put Texas Taxpayer money (400 million) on that border, Texas Ranger Recon Teams, Texas Guard and TXDot Officers along with equipment.
He has done it. He has experience with it.
He has fought Obama in Wash DC on one side and the drug cartels on the other side.
He has fought with Obama for 3 years to get Federal help.
but Obama keeps sending troops to other countries to protect their borders. And then he runs guns down across the Texas/Arizona/New Mexico borders to the drug cartels.
You do know it is the Federal Governments job to secure it’s international border with another country not Texas and not Perry, right?
The article of this thread is that candidates in the Republican race are calling for border fence and it exposes their lack of knowledge, right?
Don’t worry about it.
Vote for one of the other candidates that have actual experience and have handled the border problems themselves with the Federal Government tying their hands behind their backs.
You know, the ones that are going to build a 1200 mile fence over a river, cliffs, mountains, huge lakes and American’s private property.
The ones who will say anything they think you want to hear just to get your vote.
Even ones who brag about building a multi billion dollar Wall of China that will take 10-15 years to do and on top of that joke about killing people.
We have 210,000 illegals in the state, which is about number 12 in the nation in terms of numbers. In 2007 it was 325,000. The numbers have actually gone down as we pass tougher laws against illegals. They are flooding into MD and DC, both of which welcome illegals. Here is my solution to the illegal alien problem:
We need a pro-immigrant, low immigration policy with the following elements:
A merit based immigration system that brings in the skills and talents to keep us competitive in the global economy;
Reduced immigration levels based on need and more closely approximating 300,000 immigrants a year vice the current 1.2 million annually;
Elimination of extended chain migration, i.e., family reunification, limiting it to the nuclear family;
Enforcement of existing immigration laws to reduce the current illegal alien population and limit future illegal immigration, i.e., attrition thru enforcement. Enforcement would include: (1) ending the job magnet; (2) increasing coordination at the federal level by eliminating barriers to information sharing among agencies; (3) leveraging state and local enforcement resources; (4) fully implementing the US-VISIT Program to track and deport visa overstays; and (5) secure the border and make mandatory such programs as E-Verify and 287 [g] authority to assist employers and law enforcement in identifying illegal aliens;
Elimination of birthright citizenship and the visa lottery program;
Ensure that anyone who enters this nation illegally is not rewarded by being permitted to stay and work here; i.e., no amnesty;
Streamline the processing and adjudication of immigration cases; and
Promote pro-immigrant measures that help newcomers assimilate and embrace the values and principles of our Founders and the Constitution.
So. If you can’t arrest for a “mere” civil violation, how do you know they’re illegal until they commit a crime?
We need to pass a law like AZ and AL. The law only allows police to ask about immigration status in the normal course of “lawful contact” with a person, such as a traffic stop or if they have committed a crime.
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