Feds Say They Have 'Express Authority' to Investigate Alabama Public Schools Over Immigration

FoxNews.com ^ | November 05, 2011 | unattributed

[Hunton Peck]

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department on Friday told Alabama's attorney general that it has the "express authority" to investigate potential federal civil rights violations in Alabama's public schools authorized by the state's controversial new immigration law.

Assistant US Attorney General Thomas Perez informed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange of the federal government's powers two days after Strange requested that the Justice Department cite what legal authority it had to collect enrollment data on Hispanic students in his state's public schools.

"The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is tasked with investigating potential violations of civil rights laws that protect educational opportunities for schoolchildren," Perez wrote in a letter. "We know that the longstanding legal tradition in this country of ensuring the right to attend school without being subject to discrimination on any impermissible ground is as critically important to you, as the Attorney General of the State of Alabama, as it is to the Civil Rights Division."

The Justice Department initially requested the enrollment information at Alabama public schools Monday after receiving complaints that the state's immigration law may violate federal anti-discrimination statutes related to education.

But Luther advised the state's school superintendent to decline to handover the data because of the ongoing...

[Hunton Peck]

Holder's thugs on the march...

[exit82]

“Nuts”.

One word reply to Holder’s attack dog.

Stay strong, Alabama.

[bigheadfred]

They are investigating if the pandering to illegals denigrates the quality of citizen’s education and violates their civil rights?

[Mr. K]

Of course they have the “express’ authority to do it, but they are not doing it, and have not been doing it.

Thats sorta the problem.

So AL also has the ‘express’ authority to make sure the laws are not broken, in ways that costs them billions.

[CitizenUSA]

bigheadfred: “They are investigating if the pandering to illegals denigrates the quality of citizen’s education and violates their civil rights?”

ROFL! Nice one, and you didn’t even need a sarcasm tag!

[eyedigress]

Alabama, start issuing arrest warrants for every known illegal in the state.

[SECURE AMERICA]

Roll Tide Roll
Tell Obama and the Feds to stick it where the sunshine don’t hit it!

[Nip]

In this letter the Obama DoJ has clearly stated that, in their opinion, there is no difference between a citizen, a legal immigrant and an illegal immigrant.

I wonder if this opinion will remain valid in 13 months, i.e. after the 2012 elections,?

[BigCinBigD]

Northern flags in South winds flutter”

[El Cid]

Privatize the schools.
Get them out from under the Government's thumb.
They've primarily become warehouses of indoctrination to create generations of people dependent on Government's 'good will' - i.e., their intent is to turn us all into slaves of Washington D.C.

[kcvl]

Perez's minions — sans black uniforms and man-sized flashlights (this is an "American" Gestapo, after all) — have "raided" Sheriff Arpaio's office, falsely charging his operation with "discrimination."

They can't prove that — especially since another federal agency — the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) had previously conducted its own probe of Sheriff Arpaio's office and found his officers "to be professional and meeting the requirement of the MOA" (Memorandum of Understanding). That included discrimination and racial profiling issues in dealing with illegal immigrants. That report from Byron York, who smoked out the ICE finding for the Washington Examiner.

HERE

[meyer]

Holder’s thugs vs. the Alabama Militia. Doesn’t even seem fair.

Roll Tide!!

[Zeppo]

The Justice Department on Friday told Alabama's attorney general that it has the "express authority" to investigate potential federal civil rights violations in Alabama's public schools authorized by the state's controversial new immigration law.

So, does that mean that the "Justice" Department needs to investigate any and all enforcement activity by ICE, because it could also lead to exactly the same supposed federal civil rights violations?

(Yes, I know, don't give those idiots any more ideas.)

[Hunton Peck]

Good point, though. Any government action has the potential to be applied in discriminatory fashion, so their purported justification for this thuggery is infinitely inflatable.

[DJ MacWoW]

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington

Support Free Republic

[Missouri gal]

Would love to see the fraud illegal alien show up in Alabama_or anywhere they actually enforce the law, in violation of both federal and state law, to try to enforce his personal, illegal wishes and get arrested. Oath of office requires enforcement of the law. You refuse to enforce the law, you get charged, arrested, tried and convicted!

[Feckless]

The Feral Gubbmint won't do it's job and protect Americans from invasion but it sees it's job as protecting the invaders from Americans.

If we can't vote these scumbags out next November we need to take a serious look at surrendering America to them or taking it back by force.

[dools0007world]

Which means they have no authority but what they invent.

[FlingWingFlyer]

INDICT HOLDER NOW!!! That pig needs to be in jail!

[newzjunkey]

Unless the feds intend to actually enforce immigration law and investigate each child themselves, enrollment data gets them nothing but a mailing list of folks to trawl for (real or) imagined complaints.

Given this regime's biases, ideology and allies, it won't be the first item.